Coming Home
by Holywoodunderfed
Summary: Two months later: Max has sacrificed Chloe to save the town. But during her grieving, she has unexpected visions. Could there be a way to save her? Is there a way to save them all? (I have taken some liberties but it is canonnical. Darker toned in the beginning, but becomes lighter. Max/Warren; Friendship: Max/Warren/Chloe/Kate).
1. The Choice

**_A/N: This is my second LiS story, and I personally think it'll be better than "Always"._** ** _Understand that because this story takes place during a time in which Max would be grieving, her character and actions will be somewhat different than presented in the video game. Grief changes how people view and see the world, and Max has plenty of reasons to why she would blame herself for Chloe's death. With that being said, I have taken some liberties and have possibly exaggerated in this story. Please approach this story with an open mind. If you go in expecting the story to be 100% cannon, you will be disappointed._**

 ** _Disclaimer 1_ : This story is only rated M for colorful language. Chloe, I'm looking at you.**

 ** _Disclaimer 2: I do not own any characters or associated properties of Life is Strange. All characters and properties belong to DONTNOD and SquareEnix Entertainment._**

 ** _Thank you,_**

 ** _Holywoodunderfed_**

It's been 2 months since Chloe died. Two months since the fateful day she was shot and bled out on the cold tile of the girl's bathroom in Blackwell Academy. Two months since Max was forced to listen to her friend breathe her last breath.

And since then? Everything seems bleak. At least in Max's eyes. She didn't enjoy what she used to love anymore. She didn't enjoy the leaves changing color in the autumn weather. She didn't enjoy Halloween; the thick aura of death surrounding her. The thought of skeletons made Max think of Chloe's corpse, rotting away 8 feet below. The thought of zombies kept Max awake, whether from terrifying nightmares or of dizzying daydreams.

Max quickly lost her interest in photography. After all, how could she take pictures of a world so thoughtlessly cruel, that would destroy an entire town, everyone she had come to know and appreciate, to kill her best friend. Someone, who Max ordinarily would rather die for.

And that was another thing to think about. Max certainly wasn't suicidal, but she felt as if she didn't deserve to live. The only thing her time ability gave her was the ability to manipulate lives. She tore the lives of everyone she knew, whether she loved them, or hated them, she unfairly and cruelly twisted their lives, their personalities, and their souls apart. And she hated herself for it. She vowed she would not use her power. Even if she still had it.

They say that the 5 Steps of Grief are Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. Max felt as if she felt all of them at once. After all, how do you grieve in a step by step process, when you _let_ your friend die?

Sometimes, Max has visions. She knows they are not real. Although to her, they are as real as they can get. See, they are not just visions, they are memories. Memories that will and only belong to her.

Sometimes the visions would be simple. Max and Chloe are sitting at the picnic table, the day of the snow. She finds herself trying to memorize every single detail of her face. It frustrates her each and every night.

Because the more time goes on, the more she forgets. She forgets the exact shade of Chloe's eyes. She forgets just exactly how her voice sounded. She forgets how Chloe moves her hands when she makes a point. She wants to remember all of these little insignificant details and more. She wants to bottle every tiny, good memory she has with Chloe. It doesn't matter if they're 13 years old playing pirates or 18 years old shooting guns at bottles, she wants to drink all these memories whenever the sadness takes over. When the numbness takes over.

That's the best way to describe it, she guesses. Numbness. Other than class, she doesn't like to leave her dorm room. She prefers to stay numb. Outside, everything reminds her of Chloe. The pool reminds her of her last swim. Every truck reminds her of Chloe's, (that Joyce gave her, "she would've wanted you to have it.").

Max has started to wear some of Chloe's clothes under usual grey jacket. Some have noticed, but most choose not to say anything. She has started to wear Chloe's bullet necklace and finds herself unconsciously rubbing the bullets with her hands. She can't help but wish that she knew a way she could have saved her.

She hasn't totally isolated herself however. She still has tea with Kate. She doesn't say much, but Kate is kind enough to understand and feed her talk about anything. Even though Max isn't overly religious, (make that not at all), she finds herself praying with Kate sometimes. It seems she wants to do anything she can. Kate has practically been a saint, patience wise. She could not be more thankful, but it is exhausting to be pretending that she is getting better. Max isn't even sure if "getting better" will ever truly happen. After 60 or so days, it still hasn't.

She has spoken to Dana as well. Even one crazy night tried marijuana with her. She choked and gagged on the pipe she was given, and even high she couldn't shake the feeling that she didn't belong here. And what _here_ meant, she'll never know. It just didn't feel right at all. Especially when she knew Chloe loved nothing more than to light up.

Admittedly, no one helped like Warren. She learned quickly that each of her closest Blackwell friends had separate ways of trying to help her cope. Kate was patient. Max felt, however, that she was _too_ patient. Dana's was distraction. Most of the time, Max was grateful for this, but, deep down, she wanted to not be sad anymore, and she knew distraction wasn't going to help in the long run.

Warren was different though. Warren was patient but not too patient. He pushed, but he didn't push too hard. He distracted but not too much. While Kate wants to wait for Max to be ready, Warren lets Max share tiny details, a little bit at a time. There's been times, especially recently, when she would go over and they would watch a movie. She would drown herself into the movie or Netflix series, not talking or thinking much. Occasionally, Warren would get her talking and when they do, they talk for a long time. Not always about Chloe either. They would talk about philosophy, new movies, the latest music, anything but. She really enjoyed these. It wasn't just about forgetting, it was about feeling normal, and around Warren, she felt normal again. If only briefly.

Very few times, Warren could talk to her and convince her to open up about Chloe. She couldn't force herself to talk about her timeline mis-adventures. That was too hard. But she would talk about the good things. She would talk about how Chloe would bring out a new side in her. She would say how funny Chloe was. She told him stories of how they spilled the wine on the floor, about the times she would eat at the Two Whales with William, Joyce and Chloe.

Every time, she would cry. He would pull her close and hold her head in his chest. She would sob for minutes, even hours. He never seemed to be upset by this, even if he did joke about her ruining his shirts. Even if she did feel a little guilty about this, she is eternally grateful for him being an escape, even if she knew he would like nothing more than take her to a drive-in.

Which makes her even guiltier.

It was the day of finals, and Max's parents have been texting her for a while. In fact, they have been texting her for an entire week. See, after the funeral, her parents had been worried about her. They had told her that if she thought about going back to Seattle and escaping from Blackwell for a while.

And now, she was really thinking about it. She was presented a choice. She could stay for Winter Break in her dorm. Kate would be gone, and so would Dana. As would nearly every other girl except for Stella. One pro for her, would that she wouldn't have to deal with any drama or bullshit. But on another note, she would be alone. More so than she had been the last three months.

Warren was also going home, but he lived in Arcadia Bay, about 10 minutes away from the school. The only problem was, she didn't want to drive Chloe's truck. It still smelled like her. It still had her old cigarettes in the ash tray. The last time she was in there, she stole the last of Chloe's packs and hid it in her room. She won't ever smoke it, but sometimes when she smells the nicotine and the tobacco, she is transported back to her room.

She imagines her dancing on her bed, trying to convince Max to break it down. She misses this moment the most. Before David came in, when Max was just a normal girl reuniting with her best friend after 5 years. She wasn't in a state of confusion, (well, at least not too much), she was just an 18 year old girl with a brand new power, sharing a loud moment with her sister.

And then, Seattle. She would get away from everything. She wouldn't have to see the lighthouse. She wouldn't have to sit in her dorm and stare at the ceiling. She wouldn't have to listen to the silence that filled Blackwell's halls during winter break. In Seattle, she would be in a familiar setting, with parents she loved very much. They may be a little protective, but right now, she wants to be taken care of. She's tired of being alone. Warren, Kate and Dana have tried their best, and sometimes, especially with Warren, she didn't feel the overbearing loneliness. But it wasn't enough.

Maybe Seattle would help her heal. Maybe she just needed distance. Time for herself. Away from homework and busywork photography. Maybe the Seattle landscape and wildlife could encourage her to produce more art.

Maybe.

Right now, though, she needed to do something. She had played guitar an hour or so before, but she had been staring at the ceiling all that time later. She was stiff, too much so.

She managed to roll out of her bed and she fell to the floor, letting a curse silently escape her lips. She got up gingerly and made her way to the closet. It had recently snowed, (it was the 19th of December, so it's reasonable this time), so she put on one of Chloe's few long sleeve shirts, (one with a Jimmy Eat World design) and put her grey jacket over it. She wore the longest jeans she could, and on impulse put on one of Chloe's beanies.

The only problem is, she didn't know where to go. Her last final had taken place hours ago. In fact, she felt pretty sure most of her roommates had already had theirs. She might as well take a walk around campus. The cold will make her feel, at least until she goes numb, on the outside this time.

She puts on some black shoes, and she slowly steps out of her door. The hallway is dark, and for the first time since she woke up this morning; she wonders what time it is. She glances at her phone. Other than the 31% battery, it says that time is about 8:15. Her dorm is the farthest in the hallway, and as she walks slowly through the hall, she finds herself nosily checking each dorm. Each dorm is empty, even Stella's. Max sighs. She doesn't even have the energy to snoop around.

She had already done so in the alternate timeline, even if it was 2 months later, what was the point? She already knew about Dana's miscarriage. Victoria, despite having a new teacher to fill in after Mark Jefferson's arrest, had still won the Everyday Heroes contest. There wasn't anything else to learn.

At least Kate hadn't attempted suicide since Nathan had been arrested and confessed. Other than Nathan and Mr. Jefferson's arrest, this was the only other bright spot.

Her feelings on Nathan were mixed. On one hand, she hated him for killing Rachel and driving Kate to suicide in the other timeline. On the other hand, she knew he was sick, and appreciated that he tried to warn her before his death. It didn't change her perspective, but at least she could forgive him for what he did.

She started walking through what seemed like the endless cavern of silence that perpetuated the hallway. She was lost in her own mind and didn't notice herself walking down the steps and out into the cold night air. It was colder than it had been for the last week, and made Max shiver. Though she liked it. She liked feeling the cold, and deep down, she felt she deserved it.

She didn't know how long she walked. After what she guessed was an hour or so, she decided she had had enough of the cold. Her hands were going numb, and her nose was red. She stopped and checked her surroundings. It wasn't easy to see with the wind swirling the snow around her face, but she could make out a sign that read that she was near the boys dorm.

"Warren..." she whispered to herself. She remembered he said he was going to go home. Perhaps he hadn't left yet. She felt lonely and miserable again. Although she felt tired of feeling like she was using people, she couldn't help but want to see Warren's smiling face.

She walked up to his dorm, and read his slate. It was a stick figure drawing of a person falling off a cliff after another figure pushed him off. Its caption read, " _It's over Anakin. I have the high ground_." She let herself chuckle at that.

She remembered when she had taken his marker and drew something for him. She smiled at the memory when she wrote CopperTellurium=CuTe. She smiled when she also remembered his warm reception to her drawing. It had made warmth grow in her belly and spread throughout her chest. To this day, it still released happy thoughts in her head.

She thought about possibly putting it again, but figured it was ridiculous considering the circumstances of her visit. In fact, she couldn't remember a time between them when she even thought about his attraction to her, or her possible attraction to him since the bathroom incident. She frowned a little thinking about that. However, she decided to put that out of her mind and knocked on his door.

The door slowly opened by itself. While she was lost in thought, she failed to notice the door was already ajar. Inside, she found that the room was practically empty. Sure, there was posters that had usually adorned the walls. But the bed was freshly made, something she knew hadn't been done in weeks. The floor was vacuumed and the table where his laptop usually sat was vacant. His Playstation and XBox were nowhere to be seen.

She felt a crushing sadness then and dragged herself to his bed. She sat, staring at the pillow that normally would rest his head. Even from the short distance she was from his pillow, she could smell him. She had grown accustomed to that smell. It was a smell of boyishness and comfort. A smell that succeeded in making her heart settle yet expand at the same time.

Now, all it did was give her the urge to cry. She knew now what she was going to do. She was going to Seattle. But she couldn't help herself.

She crawled backwards and placed her back against the wall. She curled in a fetal position and squeezed her eyes shut against her knees.

And then she wept.


	2. Saying Goodbye: Part 1

To say Warren Graham was excited was an understatement. He had just aced all of his finals, and had ended the semester with a perfect 4.0 GPA. In fact, he did so well that Mrs. Grant said he didn't have to take the final to pass with an A!

Warren smiled. Any time he could pass a class without doing work was great to him.

In fact, recently, life had been looking up. He had recently just gotten a job at the Smoothie Shack in the strip mall downtown. And his parents had been more than happy with his grades, saying they had a surprise for him when he got home. He had finally been able to purchase that new PC he had been saving up these past few months and he couldn't wait to install and play Gary's Mod and finish Teen Titans (the original, not the horrendous Teen Titans Go!).

In speaking of Teen Titans, he had promised Max that he would finish the series with her. They both couldn't wait to watch Trouble in Tokyo together, even if they both had seen it.

Not for the first time, and certainly not the last, he worried about her. She had thankfully been opening up the past few weeks. Slowly but surely, she had been starting to smile and talk more, while crying and sulking less.

After the shooting in October, she had drastically reduced the amount of pictures she was taking. It didn't make any sense to him, and he learned not to ask her about it. It worried him, even more so when he saw she absolutely refused to take selfies.

However, he had recently spotted her taking more and more pictures with her camera, and not just for school work. Sometimes, although rare, she would ask Warren to take her to different places to get a photograph. He even saw her sneak in a selfie or two.

Also after the shooting, she was rarely seen leaving her dorm. Except for classes or food, he hypothesized that she only left her dorm a half a dozen times in the first month. (At least from what Kate and Brooke told him. He was afraid he was annoying them after all the times he asked about her).

Thankfully, in the last few weeks she had started socializing more. She had been talking to Dana, to Kate and to himself. She was still quiet, (although she was always a little quiet), and still a little shy, but it was good to hear her laugh again and be nerdy with him. He even let her break him down and watch Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. (Which although he protested throughout, he actually enjoyed).

He couldn't say much about whenever she hung out with Kate and Dana, but after a time when she was with him, she was breaking out of her shell more and more. She and him would crack jokes throughout the movies they watched, they would talk about the school and about upcoming movies and games and anime. It was just like nothing ever happened in October during those times.

It made him smile seeing she was making progress.

Hell, he especially knew she was progressing when she talked about Chloe. He admittedly didn't know much about Max's best friend. In fact, the only thing he did know was that she was a former student who had gotten expelled. Turns out, this was the only thing he knew that was true. All the other things he heard about Chloe were rumors that were most likely originated from one Nathan Prescott.

Max would share stories about the two of them when they were younger. He laughed at the stories where they played pirates. He "oh shit"ed on stories of them getting in trouble. And he awed and laughed at the story of Chloe's first childhood relationship. The fact that she was starting to open up and find closure really made him happy for her. It made him happy that she was getting better and was trusting him to help her.

Although, sadly, she was starting to regress. She was drawing more and more into herself again. Warren guessed it was the upcoming winter break. He knew that she felt isolated with the departure of the other students. He tried asking if Kate would stay, but it was fruitless knowing Kate's family's religious traditions. He thought about staying at Blackwell. The two of them could hang out, watch more movies and finish other Netflix series they hadn't finished. (They both couldn't wait to finish Twin Peaks).

As much as he wanted to stay, he also missed home. Sure, he only lived a little more than 10 minutes away, but he enjoyed spending time with his parents. He enjoyed waking up to the smell of waffles and pancakes freshly made for breakfast. He enjoyed seeing his cat, Nikola, wander around the place. And in the nerdiest way possible, he missed the chem set in his room, the one he got when he was a child.

He knew when he got home, he'd have to deal with his parents and their jibes at him not getting a girlfriend yet. They always ribbed him on it, because he had told them since September that he liked Max. His father had been endlessly trying to give him advice to ask Max out. Most of it was crap, but he had suggested to take Max to a drive-in. It's where his dad took his mom Jessica on their first date.

Warren was all set to ask her to go, but then tragedy struck. Of course, he never knew if she would accept the invitation or not, but he wished he had the chance to ask. He had taken a bunch of jokes from his mom and dad because he hadn't told them about the situation. It wasn't their place anyway.

He told himself his crush could wait. He wanted to be the best friend imaginable for her while she was grieving. He wanted to do more for her, but, he knew the best thing he could do was be there when he needed her.

He thought about all of this while sitting in his car in the parking lot. He had just gotten back after taking all of his stuff back to his place. He was going to stay one more night at Blackwell before going back home officially. But, he had wasted an hour thinking about Max in his car. Usually he wasn't this distracted, but, he was getting worried about her. Again.

He hugged his winter coat closer to his body and braced himself for the cold. He wasn't the biggest fan of the cold and wished he could stay in his heated car forever. He thought he would text Max and ask if she wanted to come over to his dorm, but he thought against it. He thought he would get to his dorm and get more comfy, maybe already play with his new PC before he texted her. Besides, by this point they were used to texting each other late at night/ early in the morning. Their mutual lack of sleep had even become a running gag.

He finally convinced his hand to shut the car off and to open the car door and was met by an onslaught of harshly frigid wind. Even in his heavy winter coat, he shivered. He locked his car and briskly walked to his dorm. As he walked, he tried to distract himself by mentally running through a checklist of the different shows that Max and himself had binged. If she chose to stay at Blackwell, they would have to watch a new series, or a new movie. The only question was, what should come after Teen Titans? He knew not to suggest anything related to time travel. He had suggested both Back to the Future and Groundhog Day and was quite aggressively shot down.

Warren couldn't help but be curious about why Max hated the idea of time travel so strongly. Warren found the subject quite fascinating, and he once accidentally made the mistake of asking a question starting with: " _If you could travel back in time…_ "

" _No."_

 _"No? I haven't even finished the question…?"_

 _"No. I'm not going to answer any question about time travel. Whether hypothetically or realistically, I just don't want to talk about it. I'm sorry."_

Warren entered the boys' dorm and had started quietly stomping his boots on the ground to free them of snow. He decided that he would find out about why she hated time travel so much, but he decided that he just wanted to get to his dorm room as quick as he could.

He started to stroll through the dark hallway of the boy's dorm, his phone's flashlight lighting the way.

"Second home, sweet second home," he muttered. He turned his flashlight off and walked through the threshold of his room. As his hand searched for the light switch, he tried to remember if he thought to close the door earlier. Apparently, he did not.

He thought he heard a whimper, or the intake and outtake of breath. But he dismissed it, thinking he watched too many scary movies, until he turned the light switch on.

And he saw a girl sitting on his bed.

"Holy shit!" They both said, startling one another.

A moment passed between the two as they looked at each other and recovered from their mutual surprise.

"You scared the shit out of me," Warren said. He started to take off his boots and jacket and hat. He was wearing the Periodic Table of Elements shirt she had given him for his birthday. Seeing him in his shirt and seeing his smile shot a sense of familiarity and relief through Max that made her cheeks flush.

"Are you cereal, Warren! You scared the shit out of me!" she said smiling. "I thought you left!"

"I did leave, technically," he said slowly sitting next to her and dropping his PC bag to the floor. She scooted over slightly to make room for the two of them. The two teenagers sat next to each other on the bed. They looked each other over for a few seconds. Warren couldn't help but notice how wet and bloodshot her blue eyes were.

"Were you crying?" he said quietly.

"Yeah," she mumbled, looking away from him. "It's not really important."

"Max," he said, unwittingly scooting slightly closer. The fabric of their jeans almost touching. "It's important to me."

"I don't even know," she said truthfully. "I came here looking for you, and when you weren't here… I guess I freaked out."

He smiled sympathetically. "Maximum Ride, you know I wouldn't leave without at least saying goodbye. I had a day off from the Smoothie Shack, so I moved all my stuff to my house. I thought about coming back for the night and we can watch the last episode or two of Teen Titans."

"Oh, shit. I forgot about that. You don't even have to ask, Warren. Let's watch it now. It'll take my mind off of some things."

"Sure thing, Max!" He replied, getting off of the bed. Max found herself a little disappointed. She didn't want him to leave the bed for some reason. He pulled his PC out of the bag and hooked it up to the TV he still had in the dorm. He plugged his faithful flash drive into the port and selected the second to last episode of Teen Titans.

"Snacks?" He said, looking at her.

She debated for a moment. She looked to her right and spotted the mini fridge. She thought about the usual popcorn, but that meant he had to go grab the microwave from the closet in the hallway.

She didn't want him to leave the room for some reason. So she just said, "Maybe something to drink. Like water, maybe."

"Of course." He smiled again. He was always smiling, especially around her. She always made sure to appreciate it, even if she didn't say it out loud.

Warren grabbed her a water and himself a soda from the fridge. He also snuck into a drawer in his desk and grabbed a bag of chips, ("Just because you didn't want food, doesn't mean I don't."). He sat down beside her and placed the chips between them. He handed her her water and he taped the play button with his toe on the laptop.

The two friends sat in silence as they watched the opening of the cartoon. It was a comfortable silence. Max finally felt relaxed to the point she felt she could breathe easier, while Warren was just happy to watch this episode with her and enjoy his chips.

Part of the way through the episode, Max interrupted. "I don't remember this episode."

"It's a lost episode," said Warren through a mouthful of chips.

"A new one then? I'm pleasantly surprised."

That was a lie. Because despite how much she appreciated the Teen Titans and its art style, she couldn't get into it. She felt guilty leaving him behind for Seattle. In fact, she didn't know if she would just stay in Seattle for winter break. If she were honest, she was considering leaving Arcadia Bay behind all together. It didn't help when she remembered that the only reason she came to Arcadia Bay was for Mark Jefferson. Not even for Chloe. In fact, she had run away from Chloe to Seattle, just the same as she was running from Warren and from Kate.

She was a terrible friend.

"Hellooooooo, earth to Max…"

"What?" she said, startled out of her reverie.

"Glad you picked up my frequency. It just looked like you were zoning out."

"I was. I'm sorry, Warren. I didn't mean too."

"Are you sure everything's fine? You know Dr. Graham is always willing to make house calls for his favorite patient."

"I know, I know. You won't even prescribe me medicine. Can I ask you a small favor?"

"You know you can ask me anything Max."

Max hesitated a little. She decided the only way to get it out, was to just say it. "Can I stay here tonight?"

Warren blushed. And Max blushed right back at him. She hadn't ever stayed the night at his dorm before. Sure, when she went to his dorm room or he went to hers, the other would leave really late at night. But the two had never slept in the same room before. Their friendship aside, neither of the two teenagers had ever slept in the same room as someone of the opposite sex before. Especially when their relationship was so close.

Warren thought for a minute. He was sure it was worth the risk. After all, they were real good friends, and it was his last night here until January. What could happen?

"Okay…" He said finally. "I'll sleep on the floor. You can take the bed."

"No, I'll take the floor. I'm the one bothering you."

"No, no. You're the guest. I got the floor."

"Warren," she yawned, "let's just compromise."

"I'm not going to let you sleep on the floor, Max."

"I know. Chivalry isn't dead, Sir Warren," she chuckled. "I wasn't going to say that. How about we share the bed, but we put a pillow or something between us. Sound fair?"

He contemplated the suggestion before reluctantly agreeing. He went into his closet and grabbed a spare pillow. He pulled apart the two pillows that he had stacked at the head of his bed and placed them side by side. Max expressed her gratitude and laid down and pulled the blanket over the both of them. She made sure that she was closest to the door in case she had to hide (which she doubted. David had been pretty lenient to her since the incident).

Warren maneuvered his way around her and laid down opposite of her. Max shut her eyes and almost immediately fell asleep. Warren stayed up for awhile. He watched movies quietly and listened to the sound of Max's sleeping. He hoped that she wouldn't find that creepy. It sounded to him like that was creepy.

After a little more than an hour, Warren could feel his eyes starting to droop. After some resistance, he fell asleep, Max's hair tickling his nose.

He awoke to the sound of Max screaming.

One moment, he was dreaming a strange dream about his cat gaining the Red Ring from the DC Comics and becoming to a super villain. Just when he got the point where him and Nikolai would have their final battle, he woke to Max screaming about something to do with a tornado and saying the words, "My fault" over and over.

Warren felt any sort of grogginess melt away when he finally realized his friend was having a nightmare. He knew he had to wake her. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her.

She wasn't waking up. He silently thanked whatever deity there was that there was no one else at the dorms, or else it might be awkward. Shrugging away that thought, his brain scrambled at other things he could do, but the best he could hope for was to pour some of the last of the water on her face.

 _I hope you don't mind backwash,_ he thought ridiculously.

"Chloe!" Max shouted, thankfully opening her eyes before he could grab the water.

Unfortunately, she seemed as if she didn't know where she was. She started to hyperventilate. Luckily, he had some experience in this area and quickly got up and grabbed a paper bag. In his best soothing voice, he explained, "Max, you had a nightmare and you're hyperventilating. You need to breathe into this."

After a second, Max seemed to become more aware of where she was and started to breathe into the bag. Warren placed a reassuring hand on her back as she started to breathe just a little easier second by second.

"Are you going to be okay? Should I bring the wastebasket over?"

"No, no," her voice came out shaky. "I should be okay… I don't usually throw up after nightmares. I just hyperventilate and get dizzy. And now my head feels like it's crawling out of my skull."

"I see. Is there anything else I can do? Maybe some Advil?" He looked at the clock on the table beside his bed. It read 3:38 a.m. This would usually be the time she would leave.

But this wasn't any ordinary night.

She thought for the moment and replied quietly, "I don't need any medicine. But I think there's something you can do. Two things, maybe…"

"Name them," he said. He just wanted to be helpful and do whatever he could. He knew Max wasn't unreasonable, anything she needed he knew she would absolutely _need._

"I still want to stay for the night…"

"Done." He said emphatically.

"But I need you to… hold me?"

"What?" he said. For once, he was dumbfounded.

"It's stupid." she answered quietly. Her cheeks were vermilion red as she spoke. "I don't know. I just want to feel safe, you know? I just want to feel protected. I know it sounds selfish and awkward… Actually, you don't have to. I'm probably asking too much, I should probably go and…"

Warren stopped her rant before it started. "It's fine, Max. I understand how you feel, and I want to help in any way I can. I was just surprised is all." He said reassuringly.

"Thank you." She lifted her eyes and looked into his. She noticed how deep and brown they were. She could see a little fleck of gold in them she never noticed before. It almost caught her off guard. "Y-you don't know how much this means to me."

It was Warren's turn to blush. "Anything I can do to help, right?"

"Right," she said and turned. A part of her was relieved she wasn't looking at him anymore. There was a moment in the air that she couldn't put her finger on. It kind of scared her in a way. But it also excited her. It made her heart speed up a little faster. The other part of her wanted to keep staring into his eyes and be lost in them. But she was so exhausted. She just wanted to have a night sleep without nightmares. She was hoping Warren would be the answer. Even if they had to _cuddle._

His arms slowly went around her torso. "Is this okay?" he said. She felt his breath on the nape of her neck. The sensation rose goosebumps on her skin and she almost shivered.

She found herself smiling in his awkwardness. She even felt a little brave. "Yes, Warren, it's perfect. But can you pull me a little closer?"

He obliged, and _now_ it felt perfect. He had held her before, but not in this way. Before, it was quick and friendly. At the time he was a shoulder to cry on, a ear to listen.

Now, this was something more. She didn't know exactly what it was, but she could feel this was special. Despite the circumstances, it felt right. His body felt warm against hers, but mostly it felt safe. It's the sense of security that she had been craving.

She felt sad that she was going to throw it away.

But she wanted to put that out of her mind now. She was going to let herself enjoy this moment. At least until she fell asleep, which was not long after that thought crossed her mind.

In his mind, he felt relaxed. It was strange. He was always so energized, so wired that he never really knew what it was to unwind. Now that he was holding Max, he found he could breathe a little easier. Her body was surprisingly very warm against his, and he welcomed the warmth. He was grateful that she felt she could turn to him, and he liked feeling like he was helping.

In a selfish way, he hoped that she would never ask him to let go. That she would never leave.

He could hear her breathing getting lighter and lighter and hoped she had fallen asleep again. He could feel his eyes start to droop and thought about the Christmas present he had for her. He hoped he would have enough time to give it to her in the morning. Brooke had said she found it in the girls' bathroom the day after the incident and he had snuck in and grabbed it. He had taped it together in hopes of gifting to Max.

He hoped she would appreciate it. It looked so much like her work. Warren was not the type of person who could identify a photographer by their work, but something told him that this was something Max would appreciate.

Hell, maybe it was even hers.

He dozed off not long after this thought. He just hoped he would wake up before her to give her her present.

Max woke up before him. The unfamiliar setting confused her for a moment. But as her eyes adjusted to the morning light, she became aware of Warren's sleeping cheek resting on her neck. The realization made her entire body heat with embarrassment, awkwardness, and… adoration. The thought of cuddling with Warren all night perplexed her yet strangely excited her.

She didn't want to get up. She wanted to get up.

She knew she had to get up though. Before Warren had nearly given her a heart attack, she had texted her parents about her decision to stay in Seattle. Her dad, Ryan, had answered her. He was already up late grading papers and had promised that he and her mom would pick her up that evening. She didn't have much time to pack before her parents came. The sooner she got back to her dorm, the sooner she can get a hold of Kate to say goodbye.

That's the hardest part, saying goodbye. How was she ever going to say goodbye to Warren?

She suddenly felt uncomfortable and overly hot. She wiggled herself cautiously out of his grip. She didn't want to wake him, but she knew she had to let him know that she was leaving for Seattle. She grabbed her dead phone from the floor and placed it into her pocket.

Now what should she do? Max could wake Warren up and tell him that he wouldn't be seeing her, but one look at his sleeping face and she knew she wouldn't have the heart to do it. She couldn't help but stare at him sleeping. He looked… peaceful. For once, he was quiet when he was usually loud and excited. She thought he looked...

Well, she thought he looked cute asleep like he was…

Max swallowed the guilt in her belly and approached the door. She thought about just leaving all together. It was certainly cruel. She knew how he felt about her, whether previous timeline or not. She had accepted the invitation to "Go Ape" in the other timeline, but would she go again, if given the opportunity, if she weren't grieving?

The answer was yes.

Max couldn't wake him up. It would break her heart, and likely his, to tell him this. But she couldn't stay in Arcadia Bay. There were too many memories, too much pain. She needed a break. She needed Seattle.

She would leave a note. Yeah, a note. It would still break his heart. It would still hurt her, but this had to be done. It was easier this way. Easier for the both of them. She hoped.

Max searched in his desk for paper and a pen. She found some, and set to writing.

 _Warren,_

 _I can't thank you enough for what you've done for me. You really are my White Knight. You've always been there for me when I needed you most. I appreciate everything you've done for me, and I know nothing I can do will ever repay you, Dr. Graham._

 _With that being said though, I have to go back to Seattle. Arcadia Bay just reminds me of Chloe so much that… it's painful… And I know you've seen it._

 _I hope someday I can be okay enough to come back. I hope you and me and Kate can go for some Two Whales and eat and laugh with Joyce and just be friends again. Maybe we can go to the Planet at the Apes Marathon at the drive-in. (I see the flyer on your desk. Kek .)_

 _I'm sorry I had to say goodbye like this. I wish I had the courage to wake you up and give you your present and see you smile when I do. But, you look so peaceful that I don't want to disturb you._

 _I'm sorry. I hope you enjoy your Christmas present(s). When I come back, I promise to treat you to all the blueberry pancakes you want. (I know they're your favorite)_

 _Again, I'm sorry,_

 _Max, Never Maxine_

 _MAXOXO_

Right by the note, she left a photo of the two of them together taken on his birthday. He had been so happy when she had given him the shirt. If she were honest, Max thought that was her favorite selfie she had taken recently.

She took one more picture of him sleeping for the road. She wanted to have today as a memory. He had helped her so much, she wanted the photo to remember how much he meant to her.

She took one more selfie of herself in his room, with him in the background. Despite the goodbye note, she wanted to leave in a good natured way. On the back of the photo, she wrote,

 _Oh, look. A wild Warren asleep in his natural habitat. Til next time, Warren Peace._

She smiled sadly at their inside joke. At last, it was time to leave. Max left the pictures on his desk next to the note and grabbed her jacket from the floor. On an impulse, she kissed his cheek before headed to the door. Without looking back, she closed the door quietly and left him behind.


	3. Saying Goodbye: Part 2

**Hey, guys. This is a _really long_ chapter. It took a long time to make. I'm not going to change much of chapter 1 or 2, but, I decided there was a little _too_ much angst and stuff like that in this story, probably in this fandom in general. So, I decided to inject a little more humor as well. It probably won't be present at first, but it's there.**

 **Since we're on the subject. Chapters 1 and 2 are going to be the most depressing of the story. Now from this point on, the story is going to be a lot more light-hearted. And** **honestly, I like it much better. I'm still keeping how I'll have certain characters and ships and what have you, but as far as tone and atmosphere it's going to be slightly different than what it was. Also, I'm going to stop doing the lyrics before the chapter. It seemed like a good idea, but I think with the tone change, that should change as well.**

 **So, enjoy Chapter 3. I hope you like it!**

 **Warning: Some language in this chapter.**

 **Holywoodunderfed.**

Max had left Warren's dorm and escaped to the salvation of her room. There, she grabbed a change of clothes and went to take a shower. She also plugged in her phone, but left it off. She tried to hurry through the hallway, the sense of eeriness from the empty dormitories still disturbed her.

She felt refreshed after the hot shower. The one good thing about Blackwell being empty was no one was using the sinks. She could have the hot water all to herself. After some time, she stepped out. The air felt chilly to her naked body, but, she slowly changed, savoring a few moments alone.

She knew eventually she would have to face the music. Her parents were picking her up later, although they didn't express a time. Max still wanted to say goodbye to Kate, which meant she had to go back to her room and turn on her phone.

 _And,_ she thought with a grin, _somehow avoid the thousands of texts Warren is certain to send me._

She still felt a little guilty about leaving things the way she did with him. Although, she felt she did the right thing, even if it were painful. As she changed, she thought about what she was going to say to Kate. She learned a long time ago that rehearsing dramatic speeches to say goodbye to best friends doesn't work out that well.

 _Just ask Chloe how well that worked out._ She thought bitterly.

As she got dressed, she wishes she were different. Not completely, she still likes some things about herself. She wishes that she didn't always feel an overwhelming desire to run away every time life got hard. At this moment, now more than ever, life was… tough.

She dressed. Since this would be her last day in Blackwell, perhaps ever, she just wanted to dress in comfortable clothes. She dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt with a photo of the San Diego skyline on the front. She put on her usual grey hoodie and a pair of black leggings.

She finished dressing and reached for her phone on her night stand. As the phone powered on, she observed her room. She supposed she could start packing now, but she knows herself. She knows the second she starts trying to put off saying goodbye to Kate, she'll never want to do it. She had to text her now and make a plan, or else she'll never get to it.

Besides, Kate deserved more than a phone call goodbye. She had been more than just an angel for Max.

Max sat on her bed, Indian style, and gave a deep sigh. Her phone showed absolutely zero notifications. Deep down, she wanted to see that she had a message from Warren. Although, she wasn't sure why.

 _Maybe Warren is just asleep? It seems logical. He doesn't usually get a ton of hours._

Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest when her phone chimed with a new notification. She scrambled to open her messaging app and was disappointed when it was just a message from her mother.

Mom: _Sorry honey. Looks like there's been a slight delay in our flight. We'll be there in the morning though! XOXO_

Max strangely wasn't disappointed by this news. It gave her time to pack, after all. She decided though, it was now or never to text Kate. But after some thought, she considered it better to call Kate, rather than text. She did favor calling anyway.

Her phone rang only twice before her friend picked up.

"Hey, Max! What's up? I'm surprised you're up this early!" Kate's bubbly voice rang through the speaker of her phone.

Despite herself, Max could feel a grin spread through her cheeks. "Kate, it's only 10:30."

"I stand by what I say," she said with a giggle.

Max rolled her eyes before she remembered that she was on the phone. "Alright, smart mouth."

"Seriously though, what's the urgency? You don't usually call me?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I was wondering, if you're not busy, would you like to have breakfast at the Two Whales with me?"

"Mm. Maybe. I am at church."

"Oh," Max said, not bothering to hide her dissatisfaction.

"I'm only kidding, Max. The service ended half an hour ago. I'm going to take my bike, meet me there?"

"Sure, Kate. I'll be there as soon as I can."

They said their goodbyes and mutually hung up. She got to her feet and stretched a little before grabbing Chloe's necklace from her pocket.

 _I'm glad that I thought to put this in my pocket before falling asleep. Chloe would've killed me. Well, if she were here._

There it was again. Those thoughts that always penetrated her mind. The thoughts that threatened to slow her down. The ones that threatened to kill her spirit. She would not let those thoughts ruin her day. She was determined to make this day the best day possible.

She shook as many thoughts as she could out of her head and grabbed her bag before heading out. She let herself appreciate the landscape and even snuck in a quick photo or two of some squirrels. She thought about going to Chloe's-now-Max's truck that was still just sitting in the parking lot collecting dust. Max thought against it though, it was too many memories.

It was still too painful. She'll take the bus instead. It should be coming any minute. While she waited, she took a selfie of herself.

"Still taking selfies, Max?" said a familiar voice behind her, admonishing her.

"Hi, Brooke," Max cleverly retorted. She turned to talk to the girl. She seemed to also be dressed for the day's weather in a retro Apocalypse Now T-shirt, red and black plaid pants and red converse. In November, she replaced the red and blue streaks in her hair in favor of purple streaks. Her hair was pulled in her classic ponytail. The square frames of her glasses glared back at Max. She had to admit, Brooke looked what Chloe would call, "pretty for a geek."

Max subconsciously scratched her left bicep with her right hand and held her elbow as she inquired, "What brings you to Blackwell today? I thought you went home."

"I did," she said, bringing her drone controller out of her pocket. "I just thought I'd fly the drone around campus now that there aren't any teachers here to bother me. I've gotten a new drone recently and I'm testing the turns and the maximum acceleration it can achieve. Although I doubt you're interested. I'd let you'd fly it for a bit, but it's probably way too complicated for you."

Max had to resist the temptation to roll her eyes. "I'd pass anyway. No offense, but I'm waiting on the bus to meet with Kate in town."

"I see," replied Brooke as her drone lifted off into the sky. I'm surprised you're not hanging out with _Warren_ today. You've been hangin out with him all week."

Max tried to ignore whatever Brooke was trying to imply. She also tried to hide the blush, but that proved unsuccessful. She tried to be dismissive. "Oh, I thought about it, but I thought he'd want to spend time with his family."

"Sure. Well, I'll leave you to your bus ride." As Brooke said her goodbyes, her phone went off. "Well, that's definitely interesting." said Brooke, amusement sparkling her voice.

"What?" inquired Max. Her curiosity would be the death of her one day.

"Oh, just Warren invited me to the drive-in tonight." Brooke smiled at Max triumphantly. Max couldn't help but feel her face flush and anger rise in her chest, making her hands clench into fists and unclench.

 _Why would he take Brooke to the drive in…?_

"That's very odd considering how he kept going on and on about asking you to go. I wonder why he changed his mind."

"Are you going to…?"

"Of course, I am." Brooke said in a condescending manner. As usual, she made it sound as if she thought Max was being an idiot. "Oh, look, there's your bus. I guess I'll see you later. I have things to do, plans to make. You understand."

Brooke gave Max a look that blatantly said, " _I win, bitch."_

This time, Max let her resistance fail and let her eyes roll in annoyance. She tried to fight the rising feelings of jealousy and settled with imagining Brooke totally embarrassing herself somehow. Maybe her drone would fall and be broken without repair.

Max climbed the steps on the bus and found a seat. There, she sighed in defeat. Sometimes, she wished she wasn't such a pacifist.

As the bus ride went on, she tried to distract herself by watching the people driving alongside the bus. She tried to imagine what lives they led. What were their destinations? Were the family of 5 going to Disney World or for a picnic? Was the man driving alone going to work? Who was the woman talking to on the phone?

Though before she could get her imagination going, she kept getting distracted by her worries. Just what was she going to say to Kate? Would she understand? Would she be angry or sad? She felt comfortable in how she felt Kate would react, so this didn't worry her _too_ much.

On the other hand, her other worry was Warren. She felt as if she poured her heart out to him, in that goodbye. And now he was going to the drive-in with Brooke?

She felt betrayed. It was unfair, she knew it. She was a coward in the way she said her goodbye. She knew he wanted more than anything to go to that drive-in with her and now she blew her chances. He deserved someone. He and Brooke got along well and liked the same things. On paper, they seemed perfect for each other.

More so than her and Warren anyway. She had to let it happen. She had to go to Seattle.

Besides, her and Warren were just friends, right?

She took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself. It wouldn't do to feel so frustrated and negative before saying goodbye to Kate.

The bus pulled in to a stop in front of the Two Whales and Max got out. She tried to focus on every little step as she walked into the diner. The smell of pancakes filled Max's nose and assaulted her with welcome feelings of comfort.

She could finally relax smelling the familiar smells and seeing Joyce bus a table out of the corner of her eye. She tried to avoid the booth that she sat in with Chloe. The mixture of memories and Warren's graffiti on the table would be a little too much for her.

She picked the nice corner booth where she spilled Frank's precious beans (" _I was eating those beans!")_. The memory still made her laugh, despite her warmer feelings for the man. She was thankful that Kate hadn't arrived yet. She wanted to time to think. Well, at least a little more.

"Well, look who it is. I've been wanting to see such a familiar face around here."

"Joyce!" she said, elated to see the woman. She had snuck up on Max while she was lost in thought, but she couldn't be happier for the interruption.

"How are you doing, honey? I know we've been talking on the phone recently, but it's good to see you in the flesh."

"I'm still breathing, Joyce. Thank you. And how are you?"

"Still as poetic as ever, Max. Though, you couldn't be more right. Are you alone today? Where are your two friends I've seen recently?"

"One of them is coming. I'm waiting for her."

"Sure thing. What'll it be sweetheart?"

Max didn't hesitate, "Tea. For the both of us. I don't know about Kate, but I'm going to have your pancakes."

"Excellent choice, Max. I'll bring it to you as soon as I can."

Joyce smiled and returned behind the booth after reprimanding a truck driver. Just like old times.

It didn't take too much longer for Kate to show up in her bike. Max couldn't help but admire how drastically different Kate looked since October. She was practically glowing with happiness and purpose since then, her smile always infectious. She was dressed in a simple, yet elegant white blouse and a pair of khakis. Her necklace sparkled in the winter sunlight.

Kate strapped a book bag over her shoulder and walked into the diner. It didn't take long for the girl to spot Max sitting in her booth. Max waved her over with a small smile on her face. Kate slid into the seat opposite of Max and returned her smile.

"Sorry, I'm late, Max. I was really taking my time on my bike. It's such a nice day out for December."

"No worries, Kate. I'm just surprised you're not wearing a dress."

"Oh, I changed out of it before I came. I don't want to accidentally flash some poor old lady on the way to the diner!"

The two friends shared a laugh at that comment. Then, as if on cue, Joyce arrived carrying two glasses of tea. "There she is." She set the teas down for both of the girls.

"Good morning, Joyce. How are you today?"

"I'm doing as best as I can, honey. David and I are slowly and surely coming close to paying off our bills. If I'm completely honest, I'm not sure how long we'll be staying in Arcadia Bay."

There was a slight moment of silence as both girls took in this news. It was a little shocking to hear about Joyce's intentions to move. Kate was the first to speak up.

"Why is that, Joyce?"

Joyce tried to remain passive, but the girls could hear a hint of sorrow in the woman's voice. "There's just been too much sadness for us in Arcadia. We want to start new. We want to start fresh."

"We understand," Max consoled. She lightly touched Joyce's arm.

"Max, you know I'm sorry to tell you this. Sometimes, I wish we could go back in time. Back when everything seemed simple."

In her reverie, Joyce didn't notice Max's facial expression change from one of sympathy to one of hurt. Kate, however, noticed something was wrong with her friend.

"It's alright. We know how you feel." Kate answered.

"Well," said their server. "That's enough of that. What will you want this fine morning, Kate?"

"I'll just take my usual." Kate smiled affectionately toward Max. Max didn't notice, as she tried busying herself with stirring sugar into her tea.

Joyce left to place Kate's order and Kate turned to Max. "Are you okay, Max?"

"Yeah," Max said carefully, "I'm fine."

"Okay then," Kate said, choosing not to push the issue. "So why get breakfast? I wouldn't expect you to be up until at least 12:30."

Max scoffed, "Just because my sleep schedule is hella confusing, doesn't mean I still can't rise and shine."

"Well, I believe you now that I'm seeing it."

The two girls shared a giggle as they tested out their teas. After testing a sip, Kate spoke, "So where's Warren? I've barely seen you two apart in the past month."

"Oh," she said. She took a sip of her tea to buy herself time to answer. For some inane reason, she didn't want Kate to know about Brooke "Going Ape!" with Warren instead of her. She decided the best tactic was to use humor.

"I haven't seen him since this morning. Knowing him, he probably ate something and fell back asleep." Max forced a laugh that she hoped sound genuine.

Unfortunately, Kate didn't bite. In face, she had a look on her face that Max couldn't interpret. "Oh? So you saw him this morning?"

Max blushed, and she wasn't sure why. She unconsciously rubbed the nape of her neck with her hand. "Yeah, guess I did…"

Kate didn't say anything. She just gave a mischievous smile and sipped her tea.

"What's that smile for?"

"Smile? I don't know what you mean…"

"That smile. The one you're giving me right now!"

"Ohhh, that smile. It's nothing really. I just think it's funny how obliviously cute you two are."

Max almost choked on her tea. "Oblivious?"

"Yeah, since October you two have obviously been trying to find every excuse in the book to be around each other. Remember the time you told me Warren asked you to get gas with him? Not to mention, every time I'm with you two I can see the tension between the both of you."

"There isn't any tension. Warren and I…"

"... are just friends. I know. I'm sorry if I'm overstepping my boundaries, Max. You have just been so helpful to me since the Mr. Jefferson incident. I consider it a gift from God that you became my best friend. And, after the tragedy that happened… well, I just want you to be happy."

"Kate, thank you. I don't really know what to say."

"I know I've been teasing you, Max. But I do see it. The entire week before Warren's birthday you were going on and on about what you got him for his birthday. Frankly, it was the happiest I've seen you in a long time. Then after you got him that shirt, he would wear it constantly, to the point it smelled."

"And it always smelled like blueberry pancakes!" The two said at once and laughed some more. While Max laughed, it occurred to her she _did_ have some good times with Kate and Warren in the past few weeks. Maybe she shouldn't go. Maybe it wasn't too late.

While the two were laughing, Joyce brought their food. The two gave her a quick thanks and started preparing their delicacies. Max buttered her pancakes and poured syrup over them. She was basic, she knew, but she loved them. Kate, on the other hand, sprinkled some cinnamon on her French Toast and scrambled her eggs a bit more. The girls ate slowly in comfortable silence. Neither of the friends wanted to let their time together end so quickly. After the two girls had eaten roughly 75% of their meals, the blonde addressed her friend.

"Seriously, Max. You've been an angel to me even through the tough times I know you've had."

"Anytime Kate. I'd do anything for you."

"And I'd do the same for you," Kate smiled brightly at Max.

"So what did you need to talk about, Max? I doubt you woke up this early just to have breakfast with me."

"Can't a girl eat breakfast with one of her best friends?"

"Of course!" she scoffed. "Just not you! So just spill it before I finish my tea!"

Max leaned back in the booth. She closed her eyes and turned her head skyward. Kate patiently sipped her tea and waited on Max to begin.

The only problem was, where _to_ begin. She didn't want to sugarcoat it with Kate, she knew that the girl would support her through thick and thin, but at the same time, she didn't want to be blunt with the situation. It's not like a Band-Aid, this should be treated delicately.

"I was thinking about going back home for the break…" the photographer began cautiously, her eyes still closed.

After a moment or two, Max steeled herself and looked at her friend, who hadn't said a word. She didn't know what to expect, but she didn't expect the bemused expression on Kate's face.

"Is that all?"

"Well… no… but…"

"Max," she said, reaching across the booth and squeezing Max's hand. "It's okay if you need time back home. I know the feeling."

"It's not that Kate. It's… Arcadia Bay. It's like, everywhere I look, she's there. She's in the photographs I take, she's at the top of that lighthouse looking down at me, she's in the parking lot in the truck, waiting for me to go with her on some grand adventure." She points at the booth across the room. The same booth where Max had showcased her time abilities to Chloe in the alternate timeline. The nonexistent timeline.

"I see her in that booth, waiting for me. Even now, I can see it. She's sitting there, playing with her lighter, telling me we could be partners in time. Telling me we can do anything we want to do. I see her there, talking to me. She's asking me what's in her pockets, and she's…"

Max shut her mouth hard. So hard, she feels her teeth smash against her tongue. Her tongue starts bleeding and she fights the urge to vocalize her discomfort. She had been so careful the past few months, not confusing the current timeline she's in with the other timelines she's been in.

This time she majorly slipped. She could feel the blush heating her cheeks and she shakes her head vigorously. Kate must think she's crazy.

"It's okay, Max. I'm sorry you have to go through this."

"Thanks, Kate." Max replied. The words sounded hollow, even to her, but she couldn't stop here.

"I think you should really take some time away, maybe Warren and I will be able to come up and visit. Juliet and Dana too. Maybe we can even get Justin or…" The girl started, trying to cheer Max up. Max was grateful, but she knew she had to disappoint her friend.

"That's the thing Kate. I need some time to myself. I don't… I don't want to be in contact with any of you."

"Oh…" was the girl's only response.

"Just for a little while," Max stammered, trying to keep her composure."Just so long as I get on my feet. You know? It just doesn't feel right. I feel as if I'm holding you guys back, being like I am. I want, no, I _need_ a change of scenery. I don't think I'm saying goodbye to you guys forever, I just can't be in Arcadia Bay right now.."

"You don't _think_ you'll be saying goodbye to us forever?" There was something in sweet Kate's face that Max had never seen before. Briefly, Max wondered what Kate would be like if she were truly angry.

She decided she didn't want to see that.

"No, I mean, I…"

"Well?"

"I don't think I'll be coming back to Arcadia Bay."

A moment of tension passed between the two. One more. Another. Max wished that she could rewind and change the way she worded her goodbye. Maybe she still could…

" _No, Max." She scolded herself. "Never use the power again. Even if you have it. If you fuck up, you fuck up. Kate deserves more than this, but you have to live with your choices."_

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"Forever?"

"I… don't know. I feel like that, yes. This town broke her, Kate. It killed her dad, she was forced to live with David. Joyce moved on and left her behind. Rachel gets killed by Nathan. She told me that Rachel…"

"Max, how could you have talked to her about her and Rachel? You told me you hadn't talked to her since you were 13. You told me when you left for Seattle, you two barely spoke."

 _Fuck._

"I mean, Joyce told me about them. It doesn't matter. The point is, Arcadia Bay destroyed Chloe. When she started to become the amazing person she was, it took her away. _Nathan_ took her away. I can't let that happen to you… I mean… me."

"I understand, Max. I do. But that also means, apparently, throwing away all your friends here. Why do we have to be sacrificed?"

Max fought to hold back the tears that threatened to surface. "I can't tell you…"

Kate finally let her exasperation fully show. She leaned her elbows against the table and put her hands together in prayer. She muttered a few words and took a deep breath.

"Max," said the girl, with a fierce look. "I love you. Because I do, I have to tell you: I think I know what your problem is."

Max started. This is not the way she envisioned this to go.

"Max, I think you run away too much from your problems. I know you couldn't help moving away from Chloe. That wasn't your decision. But you chose not to talk to her. You were here for over a month. It would take five seconds to reach out to her, and you didn't. The same goes for Joyce. I give you credit for saying this to me, but you are still running back to Seattle. Away from us. Away from the very people who want to help you, and see you rise above this."

Max had had enough. She furiously grabbed her bag and thrust it over her shoulder. She stood and faced her friend. Kate's cheeks reddened at the sight, but she didn't drop her gaze from Max's eyes. Max tried to ignore the Two Whales' patrons and the tears falling from her face. She all but shouted, "Kate, just stop. I know I'm a fuck up! I know I'm not doing this right! I know I'm doing the only thing I know how to do! You don't know what I've been through, you can't possibly understand what it's like! I've been in that room, I've seen the things he does. It's not just Chloe, okay! It takes everything I have to even be here!"

She felt vicious satisfaction in watching Kate flinch and look away. Max shakes her head and turns on her heel. "I can't deal with this."

Max doesn't know what she thought would happen or where she planned to go when she walked out that door. She just knew she needed to _go._ Somewhere, anywhere would be better than the Two Whales.

She fast-walked through the streets of downtown Arcadia Bay, not caring where she would end up. The street signs and the houses blurred in and out of focus. Max barely paid attention to the wandering people and the hustle and bustle of the town. It felt good to move. To not think.

Eventually, however. She ran out of energy. She put her back to the wall, brought her knees to her chest and cried some.

Eventually, she heard bike tires squeal to a stop in front of her. "There you are," came a breathy voice.

Max looked up. She didn't care how red her eyes were. "Kate?"

She stood up as Kate dropped her kickstand and dismounted her bike. Max didn't know what to expect, but she prepared herself for an angry onslaught.

Instead, Kate walked up to Max and brought her in for a gentle embrace. Max returned the gesture and the two girls both exchanged several whispered apologies.

"I'm just so glad you're not hurt."

"You came looking for me?"

"I couldn't help it, Max. As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted what I said. Then, after your rant, I realized something. I don't know what you're talking about, but I know you're doing much more than grieving the loss of a friend. So, I paid for both of us, and got out of there as fast as I could. I biked around as much as I could. I'm just lucky I found you."

Max was glad Kate couldn't see the expression on her face. She was shocked that Kate figured her out, but then again, she recalls ranting about more than Chloe.

"What about Joyce?"

"She tried to leave," Kate said. The two broke apart their embrace. "I wouldn't let her. I told her to trust me and let me find you. I'm sorry about what I said back there."

"No, Kate. I should be the one apologizing. You're right. You're right about everything. The way I acted was totally not apropos. I'm sorry I caused a scene."

"Don't be sorry, Max. I'm sure if I were that upset, I'd do worse."

An image of Kate falling to her death pierced Max's mind, and she fought hard to keep it at bay. Instead, she forced a half-smile and said, "Thank you for looking for me."

"Hakuna Matata, Max." The sweet Kate she knew was back, and Max loved her for it. "I'm just glad you're not hurt."

"Me too. How could you tell that I'm doing more than grieving?"

"Multiple ways." Kate began. She looked up and saw the sky start to darken. "Walk with me to a bus stop? I'll explain as we walk."

"Sure." Max said. The pair walked to Kate's bike. She kicked up the stand and the two made their way to the nearest bus stop. Kate rolled the bike at her side as she talked.

"The obvious way was your rant. You said something like, 'I've been in that room.'"

Max cleared her throat and looked at the architecture of the building they passed.

"But it was other things, small things like you refusing to say, "Mr. Jefferson." You always said, "Jefferson" or "him". We, Warren and I, just assumed that you hated that he duped all of us into thinking of him differently. There was a time when you commented about Warren having a black eye. We thought that was strange, considering he only had one once in the 4th grade after a dodgeball game. We just assumed he told you that story once, although he says he doesn't remember telling that. The real kicker though, was your lack of interest in photography. I don't remember a single time before that day that you weren't taking a picture. It all seemed so strange, but we thought it was just from the grief."

Max was silent for a beat before she sighed in defeat. "You two are real detectives, you know that? Yeah, there's more to it. I'm just not ready to spill the beans yet."

"I understand, Max. The only thing is, when the video thing came out, I was at my worst. You were always there for me. You told me I needed to talk about it, and eventually I did. You helped me better than any of Wells' mental counselors ever could."

The statement stirred a chuckle in Max, "Yeah, they do kinda suck, don't they?"

"Tell me about it," the blonde giggled. "They should counsel the counselors how to counsel us!"

The two shared a hearty laugh. It felt good for the both to laugh with such good company.

"Whenever you're ready to talk, Max, we're here for you. I can tell you went through Hell and back. You are not alone. You might think you are, but you can't get rid of us that easy."

Max sighed. "I know, Kate. I wish I could change things. I know you and especially Warren would hound me to the ends of the Earth. I just need this, okay?"

"We know you do. And we'll be here, waiting. And when you're ready, we'll be here. Just promise me, you won't let us go. Don't you ever forget about us."

" _Don't you ever forget about me," Chloe said, before Max had set things "right"._

"I won't." Max said quietly, then, again louder. "I won't forget about you guys. You have done so much for me, it's stupid for me to do that to you. I can't lose you guys."

"And you won't. The only one that can push us away, is you."

Max knew this, all along. She just didn't want to admit it. If it weren't for the time she spent with Chloe in the alternate timelines, she would have never spoke with her. It was Max that pushed Chloe away, and she will always regret that.

She couldn't do the same thing to Kate. Or Warren. Or Dana. Or Justin. Hell, not even Victoria.

The two walked in comfortable silence. They glanced at the clouds every so often and watched the sky get slowly darker. Whether rain or snow, the two didn't know. Each was too preoccupied with different thoughts to check their phones.

"Was that what you were doing this morning? Saying goodbye to Warren?" said Kate, breaking the silence.

"Yeah."

"How did that go?"

"Good. More or less."

"What does that mean?" Kate said, fighting the smile in her voice.

"It means that I didn't actually say it to him."

"Please tell me you didn't text him, Max…"

"Not exactly. I may have left him a note."

"A note?! Really, Max...

"After I spent the night…"

"You… wait-WHAT?"

"Did I forget to mention that?"

"Uh, you may have."

"Um, yeah. I spent the night. And, uh, we cuddled and… I don't know why I'm…"

"Oh, Max, you didn't…"

"Yeah, I did." Max tried to fight the smile and blush that seeped through her cheeks, but she couldn't help it. The memory was too powerful.

 _Why am I smiling so much?_

"And to say goodbye you left a note, that's not good, Max."

"You're right," she said. The smile disappeared from her lips and was replaced by a frown.

"You need to go say goodbye the right way."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because he's on a date with Brooke."

"Oh…" she said. This time, the silence wasn't too comfortable. "That's not good."

"No, it isn't."

"It's not. That poor boy."

"He'll be fine, he's with Brooke now."

"You don't understand, Max. He's in love with you."

 _"Max, before you go, I just want to say that I'm-"_

 _"I know, Warren."_

"Max?"

"Yeah?" She said, removing herself from the memory.

"You didn't say anything."

"Did he tell you?"

"No, but it's obvious."

"How?"

"You don't see it? The way he looks at you. The way he smiles every time you talk to him. The way he bends over backwards whenever you need him. I could go on."

"I didn't want to tell you. I didn't want to add anymore pressure to you. But he doesn't know how to handle it. He's only 16, well, 17 now, and he's never been in that kind of relationship."

" _I've_ never been in that kind of relationship."

"I know. But you know what I mean."

And she did know. She remembered all the times he was there. Whether it was for an emergency pipe bomb, a photo to change the timeline, or a late night cuddle session, her White Knight had been there.

"I know I hurt him more than anything. More than I've hurt you. But it's unfair to him. I can't be what he wants me to be while I'm like this. I'm not even sure if I like him. Like, _like him_ like him. We're just friends, why do something to jeopardize that?"

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much."

"Seriously, Kate?" she said chuckling.

"Max. I'm not an expert, but I'm not blind. You may not show it as brazenly as him, but you do. Heck, I said his name earlier, and you smiled like I just said you won the lottery."

 _I've even kissed him._

 _Okay, not the right thought to have, Max._

 _Maybe she has a point..._

Kate sighs as they approach their stop. "You need to talk to him. Before it's too late."

"And I will. Just not while he's at the movies with Brooke."

"Max if you-"

"I know. If I don't do it now, more than ever, then I never will. But I promised someone. Someone a long time ago, that I would make the right choices from now on. You thankfully reminded me of that promise. I know I need to get out of here."

As Max finishes her soliloquy, the bus pulls up. "I'll see you later, Kate. Get home before the rain or whatever comes. Okay?"

"I will," her friend said with a smile, "As long as you talk to him. Deal?"

"Deal, and Kate? Thanks for everything."

The girl smiled and hopped on her bike. Max got in her seat and felt the bus stumble forward to Blackwell. She readied herself for what will be her final night in that hellhole.

Then, without intention, she fell asleep.

*

The first thing Max Caulfield heard was howling wind outside. Which was weird, considering that one moment she was watching the man and his dog walking past, and the next she was staring at nothingness with screaming wind from the outside.

Wasn't she on a bus?

Whatever. She knew she needed to find a source of light. She took her phone out of her jacket pocket and turned the flashlight on. The first thing she saw was a white wall.

 _Not a whole lot of context clues here, Max._

"Whoa, dude. What are you looking for?"

Max turned. Faster than she thought humanly possible. There, in a black, unzipped windbreaker and white skull T with a beanie pulled down hard over her shockingly blue hair, was her partner in time.

"Chloe!"

The photographer ran over to her friend and enveloped her in a tight embrace.

"Holy shit, Max Attack!" Chloe said, laughing and returning the hug. "What's with all the hugging?"

Max pulled away from the hug and kept her hand on her friend's forearm. "It's just really good to see you."

"Max, you hella just saw me. You just went upstairs. Said you had to find something."

"I did? Are you sure this isn't a dream? Where are we?"

Chloe gave her a look. "Son of a bitch! He was right. Fuck. Fuck."

"Who was righ-?" Max began to ask as her friend went over to the stairs.

"Yo, Warren! Get your ass up here!" She turned back to Max. "Ugh, I'll never hear the end of this. Now I owe that ape freak 10 bucks. For the record Maxi Pad, I blame you."

"I didn't do shit!"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "You're lucky I promised you that I wouldn't say shit."

Max's head started to throb, painfully. If she didn't know better, she could have sworn it was the same headache she used to get in the alternate timeline.

"Where are we, Chloe? What's going on?" Max looked down at herself, she was also wearing a windbreaker over her Jane Doe T-shirt. "And why are we all wearing windbreakers?"

Just as she asked her question, Warren appeared. He looked good. He had actually gotten a haircut, and he was wearing his own windbreaker with the same shirt she had gotten him for his birthday. His goofy grin lit up when he saw the two of them.

Chloe crossed her arms and turned over to the newcomer, "Don't you dare."

"Awe," Warren retorted with faux bashfulness. "I wasn't going to say 'I told you so', not at all."

"You dirty little hominidae."

"You owe me 10 bucks," Warren said with his cheeky grin.

"CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" Max shouted.

"Right," Warren said, suddenly serious. He looked at the blue-haired girl. "Agent Hella would you like to do the honors?

Chloe mockingly saluted the boy. "Will do, Monkey Man."

Warren grabbed two roller chairs and shoved them across the room towards Chloe. She motioned for Max to sit in the one opposite of her own. Max complied while Chloe took her chair and spun it around so she was sitting in it backwards.

"You're lucky I wake and baked before this, so the words will come out nice and easy."

"Easy?"

"Yep. Max, you're dreaming. You won't remember a whole lotta this, because your head is hurting too much."

"How did you...?"

Chloe wiggled her fingers in Max's face and overdramatically stated, "Because I am your subconscious…. Or just very perceptive."

"Why not both?!" Warren shouted from across the room.

"Shut up, Warren G. Harding! You said I could do this one!"

"My lips are sealed."

"Anyway," the girl said looking back at Max. "Like I said, you won't remember much. But, remember this one thing. Trust this."

Chloe leaned across Max, and pushed her finger against the left side of Max's chest.

"My boob?"

Chloe laughed. She laughed so loud that Max is sure if anyone was still downstairs they would hear.

"You're cute when you're confused. No, Super Max. Your heart. I know it sounds like some cheesy bullshit Leonardo DiCaprio would say, but trust your instincts."

"That doesn't help me at all."

"Oh, but it will." Chloe said, winking. "But enough of the plot development, on with the bang! Warren, you ready?"

"As I'll ever be!" the 17 year old said. He had tapped a cylindrical object to the wall and he ran to the other side of the room. He stood between the two girls, and placed his arms over each of their shoulders. He placed a kiss on top of Max's head and shouted, "Bombs away!"

The pipe bomb on the wall exploded with enough force to rattle the room and blow a small enough hole in the wall for Max to see through. What she saw shocked her to her very core.

The tornado from the past loomed massively over Arcadia Bay. Wood flew and houses were starting to become unglued from their foundations.

"What sort of nightmare…?" whispered Max.

"We can't explain much," shouted Warren over the wind. "Just listen to what Chloe said and everything will be alright."

Max started to talk, but suddenly her throat wasn't making any sounds. She couldn't breathe and her head pounded once more. The pain was so intense, she couldn't help but to close her eyes.

All the noise stopped. All she could see was black.

*

 **Quick shout out to Snakespur and Master Assassin Ezio for reviewing. I appreciate it!**


	4. The Scientist

Warren finally opened his eyes just a little after Max left. He laid in bed, folded his arms behind his head and contemplated what the hell happened.

" _What a bizarre night,"_ the straight A student thought.

He thought about how he came here. Well, obviously, this was his dorm room. But he pondered what last night meant.

"What a bizarre night," he said to himself, finally sliding out of his bed and stretching. He briefly wondered where Max went, but he just assumed she made her way back to her dorm while he slept.

After he stretched, he smelled his armpit and grimaced. He really needed a shower.

He walked over to his closet to grab a change of clothes. He grabbed his "world famous" Schrodinger's Cat shirt as well as a casual pair of jeans, and a pair of boxers. As he passed his desk, his eye caught some of a photo laying on his desk. A grin spread across the brunette's cheeks.

He really thought about checking out what the photo was, but he decided to take his shower first. After all, one should greet good news clean right?

After grabbing his phone, he took his clothes to the shower stall. Thankfully, the boy knew he wouldn't be interrupted by his dorm mates. He knew he could take his time.

As he showered, he thought about Max (Not in that way, you perv!). He remembered how warm it felt to hold Max the way he did. He remembered the feeling of utter tranquility he felt. He remembered never wanting the night to end.

He wondered if she felt the same.

In fact, the memory had nearly caused Warren to fall asleep. Thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster ("There is absolutely no possible way people believe that!", Max had said) that he phone notification went out. If he fell asleep in the shower that would certainly be embarrassing.

Nevertheless, Warren dragged himself out of the water and dried his naked body. Afterwards, he checked his phone still tucked away in the pants he wore the night before. His weather updated on his phone told him that the weather would be in the mid to high 80s today.

"That's… unbelievable", Warren stated, sounding slightly like Owen Wilson. "Just last night it was in the low 10s, now it's in the 80s!" He quickly walked to a window, only to find that the snow had all but melted!

It made no sense, but then again it made sense. Warren had been observing and noting the strange but subtle weather throughout the week. Last night was probably the most "normal" for Arcadia Bay, Oregon at this time of year, and yet the snowflakes were very thin.

He had noticed several subtle changes in the weather. From bizarre temperature changes, to strange precipitation, Warren had noted them all. He wondered if it was a weird anomaly or if it was strange work of global warming or something.

In speaking of strange, Warren came back to reality only to remember he was standing butt naked in the hallway!

"No wonder why they call me, 'Warren Gayram'." He mumbles to himself.

Embarrassed, the boy scrambles to his clothes in the showers and meekly dresses. From there, he heads into his room.

He had nearly forgotten the photos on his desk until he had packed up his few other dorm belongings. The last item he needed to get was the dog tag that was in his drawer in the little box. As he dug out the tags, he saw there was a note with the two photos on his desk. He also noticed that the note was in Max's handwriting.

Warren grinned. _"She left me a note?"_

Gingerly, the boy in question picked up said note. When he read the first paragraph, his grin somehow got even wider. Then, as the note went on, his smile dimmed. And dimmed. And dimmed.

He wasn't smiling anymore.

He was less angry and more… Confused. As genuinely hopeful as it sounded, he thought something happened last night. Call him a little cheesy, but he knew from the moment he met the girl that she was special. He liked her ever since. He couldn't help but hope she felt the same.

He sighed. Perhaps she needed this. Her note was correct, he could definitely tell she needed time away. But to say goodbye the way she did? It hurt. It hurt a lot.

He felt angry. Unjustly so. He felt angry that Max hadn't been strong enough to say goodbye to him in person. He felt unjustly betrayed and he felt used.

He angrily dug into his backpack and he pulled out the movie ticket. On his knees, he sat and stared at it.

 _Come "Go Ape" with Us at the Drive-In!_

 _Movie: Planet of the Apes (1968)_

 _Ticket for: Friday, December 20th_

 _6:30 p.m._

 _(This ticket is good for only one vehicle. Limit four passengers to a vehicle.)_

Warren had gotten the tickets last week. The plan, of course, was to ask Max to go with him to the movie. Now, it doesn't seem like that was an option. He supposed he could ask Brooke, he remembered she was dying to go with him. It would be disappointing, but she was decent company.

Warren threw the note in the trash can and apathetically finished his packing. As he took his bag and approached the door, he remembered that Max had left him his presents.

He slowly walked over to his desk and looked at the photos. The first picture, a photo of the two on his birthday, made Warren give a slight smile. He recalled that this picture was one of the first pictures he ever took where his smile was genuine. The butterflies in his stomach limply flew.

Max, of course, looked stunning in her hipster way. She was wearing her real smile this day, he could see it in her eyes.

 _This_ _almost_ _makes up for it, Max._ He thought with a sigh. And yet his heart hurt all the same. He even felt it in his belly.

The next photo was a selfie of Max lying next to Warren. And she looked… sad. Her pose didn't show it. She wore a smile like she was playing an elaborate prank, but he could tell that the smile did not reach her eyes. He could tell that it killed her on the inside to take this photo.

But, he supposes, maybe he didn't know his crush all that well. Maybe all she'll ever think of him is that of a friend that can be used and disposed of. A fair weather friend. She says "til next time", but apparently there wasn't a "til next time" with Chloe.

That was unfair to her, he knew that.

Still, the thought of presents made Warren remember his present to her. Carefully, he opened and removed Max's present from the drawer in his desk and put it in the pocket of his jeans. Grabbing his bag, he strode over to his door and gave one last gaze at his bed. Despite himself, he tried to project viewing himself next to Max in the intimate way they were the night before, but he couldn't see it.

And then, unwittingly, he performed a perfect imitation of Max when he opened his door and walked away.

* * *

After a nearly embarrassing situation of almost missing her stop at Blackwell, Max (never Maxine) Caulfield found herself back in her dorm room, dutifully and absentmindedly packing up her stuff. The girl was way too preoccupied with her vision to notice she was in her underwear drawer, while she was trying to find film for her camera.

 _Wowser,_ she thought, _I haven't had a vision in ages. Not since October. It couldn't have been a dream because it felt so real, but why can I barely remember anything?_

She continuously ran a checklist of all the things she remembered from her dream/vision.

1\. Warren and Chloe were definitely there.

2\. There was the tornado!

3\. She could not remember most of what they said, but Chloe and Warren seemed _very_ close. Closer than she remembered them ever being in the other timeline.

4\. Warren had looked _different._ But like good different.

5\. Chloe had said something. What was it?

This was the part that really racked her brain. Chloe had told her to remember one thing in her dream, and she couldn't. The last thing she remembered was freaking out after seeing the tornado.

The tornado. What happened on the bus had to be a dream, despite how real it felt. With Chloe… sacrificed… the tornado would never have happened. Chloe, of course, wouldn't be alive.

But it did feel real. Every bit of it.

She had to work it out of her mind. It was a dream. Dreams aren't real. Besides, usually after a vision her head hurt like a sumo wrestler sat on it. This wasn't the case.

She finished her packing and sat on her bed. She sighed and felt exhausted. Mentally, at least.

If there is one thing she remembered from her dream, was seeing her best friend again. She misses her. She wishes she were here now, lying in her bed and reminding her how much of a badass Max is.

She whipped out her faithful journal and went to her photo collection. She slowly rifled through. She smiled at some, others she casually flipped through. The photographer stopped at a polaroid of Chloe at the junkyard.

She was full of life. She was smoking a cigarette and she did not have a care in the world. She…

Max stopped as a stabbing pain sliced through her skull. She felt her body shift and her air leave her lungs as if she were drowning in a shallow pool. She closed her eyes tight and tried to will the pain away.

A Pyrric Victory. As Max wakes up, she finds herself back at the lighthouse and she faces the tornado.

"Oh my God! No, this can't be! I fixed everything! I set everything right!"

The tornado loomed over her like Galactus devouring the planet.

"How is this happening? A tornado in the middle of winter!" shouted an angelic voice behind her.

"Kate! And Warren?!"

"Hi, Max." Warren said, not looking the girl in the eye. "I've been tracking the weather patterns. I never would have guessed that a category E6 tornado would touch down on Arcadia Bay!"

Max just gaped at the two in front of her. Especially at Warren. If that dream was real, didn't Warren have a haircut then? Why was there a tornado in that dream and a tornado here?

"Look, I don't know whatever is going on between you two," Kate began, "but whatever it is, get over it! We may die! And on Christmas Day nonetheless!"

"What did you say?" Max shouted in astonishment.

"Merry Christmas!" shouted Warren mirthlessly. "Bet you wish you were in Seattle right now, don't you?"

"I-" Max began before she was cut off by the sound of a tree snapping free of his roots. The tree began to fall…

"Warren!" Max cried, reaching out to her friend.

"Max!" repeated her friend. He couldn't move in time. Max was forced to watch as the tree made contact with the boy…

* * *

"No!" Max shouted as she sat straight up from her bed.

 _Breathe, Max._ She reminded herself. She had started to hyperventilate, and had desperately tried to calm herself down.

Max's mind was abuzz with the images she saw. _The tornado is still going to happen! It's going to happen on Christmas!_

"What am I going to do?" she said aloud to herself. She was at a loss. How the hell was she going to prevent the tornado? For that matter, why was the tornado still happening? She thought sacrificing Chloe would prevent the fucking tornado!

She needed answers. But she didn't know where to get them. She was the only one who knew about her abilities, who the hell was going to help her?

" _Trust your instincts."_

She remembered! That's what Chloe had said in the dream!

But how was it possible? Did she get some sort of vision from an alternate timeline?

She didn't know what to do. But, if that _was_ Chloe, she said to trust her instincts. If she remembered right, she sounded like this was important.

Max touched the tips of her fingers to her lip. Her nose, she could tell, had been bleeding. She could feel the moisture from the blood before she looked at her fingers.

Did she still have her powers?

Max looked over to the books on her desk. Carefully, she got up and pushed them off. After, the girl raised her hand. She felt the familiar pressure in her head and witnessed the books fly back on the desk.

 _That… is not good._

Powers? Check

Incoming doomsday tornado? Check

Clue to how to solve this? Nada.

She needed someone to help her solve this. If it was possible to save Chloe, she was absolutely going to fucking save her. In fact, Max was not going to let a single one of her loved ones die. She had seen it too many times.

She just saw Warren _die_ in her vision.

She took a deep breath. She knew now, after seeing what she saw. Feeling what she felt. "Trust your instincts?" she whispered to herself.

She went over to her window. The sun was setting. Dark, violet hues attacked her retinas. She focused on the reflection of herself in the mirror. Piercing blue eyes stared back. Both Max's took a deep breath.

"There's only one person I know that will believe me and will know how to fix this. And you just broke his heart. You let your best friend die in a failed attempt to save everyone else. You toyed with countless lives, and played with so many people's emotions."

Max closed her eyes. Inhale. Exhale. She opened them back to see the determination on her own face.

"It's time to learn your mistakes have consequences. And it's up to you to make up for them. Save your best friend, apologize to the boy, and make everything right again. But first," she took another deep breath. "I forgive you."

After a moment's hesitation, Max nodded, satisfied. She turned and grabbed her shoulder bag. "Now let's see if Warren will forgive you."

* * *

She stood in a practically empty room. Obviously, the straight A student she needed was not here.

Undeterred, the photographer turned on her heel and walked over to the parking lot. Thankfully, the Sun continued it's normal Arcadia Bay winter pattern of setting at around 4:45 p.m. If she remembered right, the movie starts at 6:30, and it took 40 minutes to get to Newburg. Knowing Warren like she knew, he would want to leave earlier. She was, ironically, pressed for time.

Briefly, she wondered if she could rewind time in the car. Would it still move forward or backward? Hell, she might have to try it.

Shaking away the ridiculous thought, she quickly walked to the parking lot. After another deep breath, she unlocked Chloe's truck and put a foot in. She made the mistake of looking at the interior. Memories flashed through as sharp as the tongue her best friend possessed. The fading yet all too powerful smells of tobacco and Chloe filtered through her nostrils.

She had to persevere. She had to save her.

She put the key in the ignition and gripped the steering wheel. She didn't exactly _know_ how to drive stick, but with her rewind power, she had all the time to learn.

She made it to Warren's house unscathed. It took her 12 minutes in "real time" but between the headaches and the power it took an actual 45 minutes.

She did not know what to expect from Warren's house. It was plain enough. White, two story. An ordinary suburban house for an ordinary suburban family. It was almost perfect for the boy who had been so grounding for her.

Max nervously walked up the three steps to his door. She rang the doorbell, perhaps the most undramatic thing she did the entire day.

After a few moments, the door opened to reveal the boy holding a small, grey British shorthair cat. "Max..?"

"Hey, Warren G," the girl said quietly, "I know there's an elephant in the room, but I really need to talk to you."

Max walked up the last step, but he didn't budge. "Max," he started, trying to sound courteous, "I have to start getting ready to go. I don't think this is a good time." He said this with almost no conviction. He didn't even try to shut the door, it was almost like he wanted to see if she would try to protest.

"Aren't you supposed to be going to Seattle anyway?"

"Not until tomorrow. Warren, I'm sorry. I was selfish. I should've said goodbye to you in person, but I was a coward. You deserve better. Right now, I don't want to talk about Seattle. I need to explain a whole lot more. Can I please come in?" she pleaded.

After some hesitation, Warren stepped aside. "Come in, Maximillion."

Max nodded and stepped inside. Just as Max expected, the inside of the house was relatively nice. It wasn't super fancy, but it looked comfortable to live in. The walls were relatively high, the temperature was cozy. The floor was hardwood. To the right was the spacious living room and to the left was the kitchen area. Directly in front of the two was the staircase.

Warren went around Max and walked carefully up the stairs, kitty in tow. Max followed anxiously. Halfway up, she caught herself absentmindedly staring at his rear end. She blushed and looked away.

"Warren!" said a pretty voice at the bottom of the stairs. The two turned around to an attractive woman at the bottom of the stairs. She could have been anywhere in her high 20s to mid 30s. She had shoulder length raven black hair, amber eyes, almond skin and a charming smile. "You didn't tell me we had a guest over!"

"Sorry, Emily." the scientist replied, "this is Max Caulfield. She's my…"

"Friend," finished Max. "I, uh, just came to give him his Christmas present before break."

Emily raised her eyebrows slightly but didn't say anything about the obvious tension between the two. She smiled in a welcoming way towards Max. "I see. Well, Max Caulfield, I am Emily Tate-Graham, Warren's stepmother. It's nice to finally meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Tate."

Emily shook her head, "Please, Max, I hate formalities. Just call me Emily. Everyone else does. Besides, I doubt you want me to call you Maxine!"

Max turned to Warren and raised an eyebrow. She mock irritated exclaimed, "You told her?!"

"What?!" said Warren, faking offense. "I told her I made a new friend! They wanted to know everything, okay! They made me talk! They-"

"Now, now Warren, we wouldn't want you to spill any… family secrets." Emily said with a wink.

Warren exaggeratingly gulped.

"Well, that was fun," the stepmom said laughing. "I'll leave you two to your shenanigans. I'll be down here if you need me."

The two said their thanks and continued their venture upstairs. Max wasn't sure if Emily was trying to help the atmosphere become lighter, but regardless, at least she gave Max a reasonable subject to warm up to Warren about.

"She seems nice," she tested.

"She is," he answered calmly. "No one could replace my mom, but, she makes my dad happy. That's all that matters."

"What happened to her? Your mom I mean."

"She was killed in action. Afghanistan. I was 9."

Max put a hand on Warren's shoulder. "I'm so sorry. That's awful. I didn't know."

"How could you, Max? You never really asked."

The words made Max pause a little. He was right. She always just assumed everything was grand over in Graham Field. From the way she knew him to be, he always seemed so happy. So carefree. Maybe, and she knew she was just assuming, maybe that's why he'd always been so protective over people he loved. Maybe he's scared to lose them as unexpectedly as he lost her.

"You're right, Warren. I've been so preoccupied with my own problems, that I never would've guessed you had problems of your own. I'm sorry."

Warren said nothing but opened a door to their left. Warren's bedroom looked practically the same as his dorm room, except obviously larger. The sense of familiarity and consistency comforted Max.

Warren walked over to a cat-scratching post in the corner of his room and dropped his cat in front of it. "There you go, Nikola."

"Nikola? Like Nikola Tesla?" inquired Max.

"I will not apologize for being a nerd." He shot her a small, warm smile. "And by the way, apology accepted."

The boy wandered over to the window above his bed and shut it. "Ever see a purple sun?" he said with a low chuckle.

"I couldn't help but see it on the way over here."

"It's strange, isn't it?" Warren said, his scientific curiosity overwhelming his mood. "I've been trying to understand all the unusual weather patterns recently."

"I can actually explain all that," she said, stepping closer to the boy.

"Really? How?"

She sat on his bed and took her journal out of her shoulder bag. She patted with her hand a spot on the bed close to her and said, "This is going to take quite a while, but it'll explain everything."

"Max, I-"

"I know you're pressed for time… Brooke told me." Warren had the decency to look sheepish. "Kate told me that you two suspected that I there was more going on with me than mourning. Sadly, both of you are correct. So, sit down, Sherlock. Be ready for a hell of an explanation."

Warren sat, his curiosity overwhelming him.

So then, Max told him everything about the other timeline. She started at the beginning with her first vision of the tornado. Warren followed her every word and she could tell he was slowly starting to believe her. It didn't hurt that she would show him pictures of she took of her adventures. She decided on her way to Warren's she would not hide any detail. Somehow, she had finally gotten to meeting with him at the Two Whales to retrieve the photo to save Chloe. Telling him about the Dark Room had been easy compared to telling him this part. It had taken a while to calm him down, he was always so protective of her. She appreciated it.

Still, she had an inner debate on whether or not she should share the kiss they had. She didn't want to mess up what they already had, but at the same time…

" _Trust this," she said pointing to the left side of Max's chest._

" _My boob?"_

" _No, your heart."_

 _Warren kissed her head, "Trust Chloe's advice, and everything will be alright."_

Before I went in the photograph," she began quietly, "we… uh… we kissed."

Warren blanked. He blinked a few times. "We…?"

"We kissed." Max continued more confidently.

"Warren, I know it's sudden, considering all of the things I'm telling you but then, with everything that's happened…"

"You panicked because the tornado…"

 _Dog dammit, Max! You're fucking this up! Just say how you feel. If it doesn't work out the way you'd like, at least you tried._

"At first I thought that might be it. But I realize something. You've always been there for me. Hell, you taught me how to make a bomb, no questions asked. You have seen me at my worst, and my best, and you're still here. But another thing I realize: it kills me when you're sad. I don't see it often, but even in the movies we watch, when you're sad it kills me." Max wanted to continue. Hell, she was speaking so fast she felt she was going to pass out from barely breathing.

"Max, I didn't know that's how you felt."

"I didn't want to ruin anything between us. You and Kate and even Dana, you've been the people that have held me together. I didn't want to ruin what we already have. I just wasn't sure."

"And now…?"

"Now, I know how I feel." she said. She decided to be daring and held his hand. Slowly, their fingers intertwined. Why she never held his hand before, she didn't know. His hand was so smooth. So warm. It felt… right. Like she was supposed to hold his hand. Instantly she felt calm, even if her heart raced like Sonic had run away with it.

Warren sat, stunned how this conversation had gone. He wanted to make sure he was not dreaming in some way. He squeezed her hand experimentally and was pleasantly surprised when she squeezed back gently.

"Max," he said, looking up in her eyes. "I-"

She really started to trust her heart now. This was the biggest risk she'd taken, but somehow, she knew that it was going to work.

"Shh, Warren" she said, gently placing her other hand on Warren's cheek. "I already know."

Delicately, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his. He obliged. The two kissed.

It had taken two months, a whole week, multiple timelines, one videogame and thousands of fan fiction, but Max knew with this kiss that she was in love with him. She will never know how many timelines exist where she fell for Warren, (she'd seen one where he's with Stella), but this was perfect to her.

Gently, Warren pulled her down on top of him. She straddled his waist and they deepened their kiss. This wasn't quick like their kiss in the other timeline, but it was with much more passion, with more affection. Passion that could only exist between two people that were head over heels for each other.

They were inexperienced, that much is true. But neither of them gave a damn. They finally had each other. They finally knew how the other felt. It was a sense of freedom and love that allowed both him and her to let go.

His hand strayed around her waist until his thumbs slipped under her shirt. She gasped with sudden desire and he broke the kiss.

"Was that okay?" he asked. He didn't want her to think he was overstepping his boundaries.

She looked at him through half lidded eyes. "More than okay." She didn't know what to do with her hands, but she put them on either side of his neck and they continued kissing.

They didn't know how long they smooched, but they were unexpectedly interrupted by Warren's phone ringing. Max yelped and shot off the bed. She fell on her side clumsily. Warren couldn't help but laugh and ask if she was okay.

She would confirm she was fine although she was embarrassed. He invited her to join him on his bed. She obliged. "Aren't you going to answer that?"

"It's just Brooke."

"Warren Graham not answering his phone?" she said, feigning shock.

He smiled mockingly, "I learned from the best."

"Oh, shut up!" she said laughing. They lay side by side on his bed, just looking at each other. He felt much braver than he ever had and he gently brushed bangs away from Max's eyes. She snuggled up next to him and he put his arms over her.

"Was there more to your story?"

She was grateful her head was buried in his chest. He felt so warm. She felt like she could breathe easier than she ever had. She felt safe. "Yeah. Once I went back, I told Chloe everything. I made her believe Jefferson had done it all. When I woke back up, I was with Chloe at the lighthouse. I passed out, again, and had several nightmares. By the time I came to, Chloe had made a choice."

She was starting to get emotional, Warren could sense it. He silently stroked her hair.

Oh dog, it felt good when he did that. She soldiered on. "She believed that preventing her death caused all this. I… I didn't want her to die. I know it's selfish, but I thought ' _Fuck, Arcadia Bay. I just want my best friend._ ' But Chloe made me think of Joyce. That made me think of everyone else. You, Kate, Dana, David, everyone else. Hell, even Nathan. He might have been sick, killed Rachel, but he didn't deserve to die the way he did." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "She gave me the photo. I time hopped back to that Monday. I let her die. Then, I ripped the picture so I couldn't destroy everything again.

I thought I had fixed everything. I thought we were okay."

"You thought?"

"Yeah. But today I started having weird visions. The first I don't remember much. You and Chloe were there. You had actually gotten a haircut."

"Must have been a dream. Only you could imagine me looking good without my luscious locks!"

Max scoffed. "Warren, you looked good! Now shut up and let me finish. I don't remember much, but Chloe said to trust my heart and it'll be alright. Then I saw the tornado.

I thought that was a dream, but it felt so real. Then today, when I was packing, I had a vision. You, me, and Kate were at the lighthouse. The tornado was back and bigger than ever. Kate said that it was Christmas. You… were still upset with me. Then before I could say anything, a tree fell on you and crushed you."

Warren thought for a while. "Max, that's in only 5 days."

"I know. That's what I wanted to talk about. Is it possible? Could the tornado still happen?"

He hesitated slightly. "Max, I don't know. Theories about time are just that, theories. Theoretically, there could be numerous possibilities that there are timelines where the tornado doesn't happen. Have you used your powers at all since October?"

"Only today to test if it still worked."

"Fuck. Well, my best guess is that it's supposed to happen. Preventing her death only accelerated the tornado."

"So you're saying that Chloe's death only gave the town more time? That this was supposed to happen? That Chloe's death doesn't matter?"

"Yes and no. Yes, because it seems the tornado is going to happen. And no, because as you said, there has been multiple times where you had to go back to save her. She died multiple times, and each time you saved her."

"So, there's two possibilities. Either you did the right thing, and Chloe is supposed to die and the tornado is supposed to come and you just accelerated it, or …"

"Or?"

"Or there's someone else with abilities. Someone else who can mess with the time stream. If you're correct and you haven't manipulated time, then, theoretically, the only way that this strange weather phenomenon could occur is if someone else could do something similar."

"So. Which theory you think is the closest?"

"Max, I don't know. Although, I believe what you said. You haven't used your ability. The one rule as a scientist is that everything happens for a reason, but that reason should be able to be explained.

The only explanation for all the weird weather could only be that there is another time traveler."

There was a moment of quiet as the both of them digested this information.

"There's a possibility though, that you may have still changed the flow of time unintentionally."

"How so?"

"Remember how you said it took awhile to figure out you had to water Lisa every other day or else she drowns? Well, did you accidentally drown Lisa in the alternate timeline?"

"Fuck, I did. Could that have brought the tornado?"

He shrugged, "I don't know."

"Even still, I can't save her," Max said, the despair in her words nearly broke his heart.

But it gave him an idea.

"Max," he began slowly. "Which photo did you rip up?"

"The picture of the butterfly."

" _No way,"_ Warren thought. "Max, let me up."

"Oh, okay. Why?"

He got up and smiled at her. She was surprised how warm his smile was. She could tell he was practically giddy with excitement.

"I have a early Christmas present for you."

She sat up, curious to what it could be. "You didn't have to get me anything."

He pulled a tiny box out of his back pocket and presented it to her. "Open it."

"Okay," she said. She couldn't help but let excitement course through her veins. She opened it and audibly gasped. The butterfly picture, the same one she used to go back to the bathroom was in perfect shape before her.

"Wowser. How is this possible? I ripped this up?"

"Brooke found it." Warren explained. "She said she found a ripped up picture in the bathroom. I was curious and asked her if I could see it. I thought it looked like something you would take. It took forever, but I finally managed to glue it back together."

She swiftly hugged him. Her arms went around his neck and she squeezed him. Warren returned her embrace. He loved the smell of jasmine in her hair.

She pulled back and looked at him with the widest grin she ever had on her face. "You are literally the sweetest boy ever. How do you always come through for me?"

He shrugged, "Call it my own super power."

" _Even angels need angels, Max."_ Kate had said. Max was only just realizing how right she was.

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the mouth. She wished she could do more to thank him, but this would have to do. "I'm going to have to find some way to pay you back," she found herself saying in a low growl.

"I think you'll find a way," he replied in the same tone.

 _Are we flirting?_

 _Well if we are, I like it. But, I have more important things to do. But first…_

"I love you, Warren," she said, absolutely certain.

"I love you too, Max."

She pulled away and looked at the photo, then back at him. "I'm going to save her."

"Before you go, Max," he said sitting on the bed. "We have to talk about the best way to do this."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, how do you plan on saving Chloe?"

"Pulling the fire alarm, like last time."

"I thought so. Max, you're not thinking about it clearly."

She sat on the bed next to him. "How?"

"You said it yourself, Max. Every time you used to photo to go back in time, you did one thing to change the past and then you came back to a completely new timeline on the exact date that you went before. Whether you found yourself going to San Francisco or with a handicapped Chloe, the timeline was vastly different."

"So you're saying, that if I go back, I could vastly change everything?"

"Yes. The only thing we know, is that this," he reached out for her hand to hold. She complied and their fingers intertwined. "Could never happen. For all we know, you could end up with Chloe or something."

She tried to imagine being with Chloe. She supposed it was possible. She had went from best friends to in love with Warren, so she assumes the same could happen with her. But still she couldn't imagine being in love with anyone but him. They were both passionate in their own ways, but Chloe was so quick to anger. And at times, irrational. Warren could be annoying and he was scary when he was angry, but he was endlessly patient with her. Even when he was upset with her, she knew that he would never be violent.

Besides, when Chloe had dared Max to kiss her, Max refused. She had wanted to kiss Warren, the only person that she ever wanted to kiss. That was the difference.

She honestly couldn't imagine dating Chloe. She was sweet in her own way. And gorgeous in her punk style. She made Max much more bolder than ever. She especially knew now that she couldn't live without her. Besides, from the way Chloe talked about Rachel Amber, Max assumed there was more than friendship that way….

"I'd much rather be with you," she said squeezing his hand.

"Thank you," he said with a smile. "So, we have multiple things to figure out:

1\. You have to prevent Chloe's death

2\. You have to somehow have a conversation with her that makes her believe that you're practically a Time Lord.

3\. You have to find a way to set in stone you end up with this handsome devil. (Max raised an eyebrow at that.)

4\. If you can, and this objective is optional, find a way to stay in that timeline. It'll make avoiding the tornado and etc. much easier.

Max gave it some thought before adding. "I could surprise Nathan before…"

"Max," the scientist said laughing, "I've seen enough movies to know when someone surprises someone holding a gun, they usually get shot."

Max's face reddened. She slapped his arm playfully. "Not when he has the gun, you dork. When I go back, it'll be just before Nathan comes in. I'll crawl under the stall, and when Chloe 'checks the perimeter', I'll come out. It'll be before Nathan pulls his gun. And before Chloe starts to get interrogative. She'll be too surprised to see me."

"Good idea, Max Attack! That's part one down."

"The next part will be hard. She'll definitely be upset. It'll be the first time that she's seen me since I moved to Seattle. She'll be pissed I didn't talk to her since I had come back to Arcadia Bay."

"You know her better than I do. She's your best friend, you'll find a way to get through to her."

"I will. Thank you for having so much faith in me."

He wrapped his arm over her shoulder. She leaned into him, loving the feeling of being being enveloped in his warmth. The butterflies in her stomach performed somersaults. He kissed her forehead. "It's my job."

"You're my newest priority, Warren Moon. I'm going to make sure Chloe understands how much you mean to me."

"It's the best I could hope for. I'm just in disbelief that you used a sports reference for my name."

"I blame my dad's obsession with the Seattle Seahawks… wait, how do you know what I'm referencing."

He gave her a faux sinister look, "I have my ways, Max Caulfield."

"Your dad is a sports fan too, isn't he?"

"Maybe."

"You're so full of shit," she said with a laugh. Dog, she was going to miss him.

He let her get out from under his arm. "Are you sure it's going to work? It's not exactly in pristine condition."

She focused somewhat on the picture. She could distantly hear Nathan start to speak. "It should be fine."

"I love you, Max. I hope everything works out."

"I love you too, Warren."

She focused on the photo, but she couldn't help but whisper, "I wish I could stop doing this to us."

"For what it's worth, Max," he said putting a comforting hand on her shoulder, "me too."

With that she focused on the photo, within a second, she felt herself being pulled back.

Back to the start.

* * *

 **Hey everyone. Sorry there wasn't as much humor in this one, a little more plot development. I decided to break the fourth wall a little more, because honestly what Life is Strange story has used that medium? It was a lot of fun to write, and I hope it was fun to read.**

 **Thanks to Shakespur, Master Assassin Ezio 91 and Blackadder for the reviews!**

 **Til next time, Holywoodunderfed**


	5. Coming Home

_**Warning: Strong language advisory.**_

* * *

Chloe Price had just hung up the last of the missing Rachel Amber posters in godforsaken Blackwell Acadamy when she noticed Nathan Prescott walking into the girls bathroom.

 _Well, well, well, it looks like Nathan rich-boy Prescott is dropping into the girl's bathroom? I'm gonna to get to the bottom of this._

She confidentally strode over to the bathroom door and shoved it open. After greeting Nathan sarcastically, she started pushing open bathroom stalls, "Hoped you checked the perimeter, like my step-ass would say."

She smirked before she pushed open the stall.

"Surprise!" shouted a girl, throwing her arms exaggeratingly in the air. Her hair was short with little bangs. Her familiar blue eyes sparkled with determination and freckles danced across her nose. Her ordinary hipster clothing barely flattered the petite beautiful frame she had. The girl was cute. Was it really…?

"Max…?" she whispered. Chloe's face changed from a smirk to a look of puzzlement.

Nathan was the quickest to recover. He had noticably flinched when Max boisterously surprised the two of them. "What are you doing in here, bitch?"

If this were 5 years ago, Chloe would have prepared a verbal barb that would have protected her more passive best friend from verbal assault. This time, it was Max who was prepared.

"I could ask you the same thing, Nathan Prescott. After all, we are in the _girl's_ bathroom!"

There was a look on Max's face that Chloe had never seen before. It wasn't anger necessarily, it was a look of confidence. In fact, and this was probably the most stunning, Chloe could not remember a time where Max looked and acted more confident.

Nathan scoffed. "Please, my father owns this school! Every room is practically mine."

"Funny that you mention it. What would it look like if Nathan Prescott was caught red handed in the girls bathroom? What would your father say?" She gasps and lifts her camera. "What sort of rumors would start?"

Nathan puts his hands up to cover his face. "Whatever." He flips Max the bird and walks out of the room.

"That was so fucking badass!" Chloe shouts excitedly as the door shuts. She couldn't help herself with that. She would deal with Nathan Prescott later, but now...

She then looks Max up and down. "So this is it?"

"Chloe… I…"

"No, Max! You leave me for 5 years! Five. Fucking. Years. And this is how we reunite? In the girl's fucking bathroom in this town's shittiest school? Oh, and not to mention, the first time I hear your voice is when you're owning that rich douche bag!"

"Chloe, I can explain…" Chloe shakes her head. She walks over to the sink and desperately fetches a cigarette out of her pocket. As she searches for her lighter, she asks coldly, "Why did you come back, huh? Was it for Blackwell? Cause you sure as hell didn't call me or even fucking text me since you've been here." She lights up her cigarette as Max approaches the sink.

"You want to know why I came back?" Max had the cajones to ask.

"Yes, Max," she said after a drag. "I do."

Max took off a necklace she had hidden under her shirt. Chloe noticed the necklace was 3 bullets with a black band weaved through. "I came back because you died."

"How did you get-?" As Chloe spoke she felt her neckline, her necklace was still there. Then, Max's words hit her. "I died? What the hell are you talking about, Max?"

"I mean just what I'm saying, Chloe." She pulled out her journal and flipped to a section of poloroids. She stopped at a photo of Chloe dancing on her bed, a blunt in her fingers. "How did you get this?" she demanded.

"Would you believe traveling through time?" her friend smiled reassuringly. She seemed tired. More than Chloe had ever seen her.

"Maximus," she said squeezing the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "What you're suggesting is hella insane!"

"Chloe", the girl said, putting her hand on her shoulder. "Please. I have never been more serious. Just read what I have entered in my journal. I know what happened to Rachel."

Chloe's eyes widened in surprise. Her heart started racing. "Don't fuck with me, Caulfield. You know what happened to Rachel?!"

"Chloe! As your best friend, your first mate, you have to believe me!" Max's blue eyes implored Chloe's to believe in her. If there is one thing Chloe Price valued above all else, ironically, was the truth. Despite the evidence thrown her way, it was the desperate look on her friend's face that truly made Chloe believe.

And, strangely, want to kiss her.

"Okay, Max." Chloe replied, trying and slowly succeeding in calming the hysteria flowing through her veins. She put out her cigarette on the sink. "I believe you."

Max breathed a very audible sigh of relief. "Thank dog."

"You came all the way back for me?"

"Of course I did," she replied before pulling Chloe in for a hug. "I love you, Chloe. You can't imagine what life was like without you."

"I can't believe you're serious." Chloe said into Max's ear. "I died and you came back through time to save me!"

"Well, duh, Captain Bluebeard. What else would First Mate Max Attack do?"

The two pulled away with grins on their respective faces. Max obviously overjoyed with having her friend back. Chloe, on the same note, was overwelmed with a mixture of emotions. She found herself leaning in for a kiss…

"Whoa, what are you doing?" Max stepped back, a rueful smile on her face.

Chloe, for once, was at a loss for words. She found herself sputtering. "I… uh… Max… uh…"

The other girl giggled, the sound sent a mixture of relief and shame through Chloe. Her face started heating up in embarrasment.

"It's okay, Chloe. I can tell we are both a little over stimulated right now. Besides, I'm actually taken."

"Ooh," Chloe said, her curiosity overcoming her. "Who is she? Or should I say _he_? You have been using protection right?"

She took satisfaction in Max's vermilion blush. She found herself grateful for the change in conversation and that they could fall so easily into step with their friendship. Chloe was happy. She almost forgot what it felt like.

"We… uh… we haven't gotten that far... ". If possible she blushed even harder. "You might know him though, he's actually-".

Without warning, Max grabbed her head and moaned in sheer agony. Blood started dripping from her nose. "Maximus Prime! Are you okay?" Chloe started to panic for her friend. She grabbed a couple of towels and gave them to Max to staunch the blood flow.

"No, not now! I need more time!" Max moaned desperately.

"Max? What's going on?"

"I can feel myself going back to the present I live in now. I'm trying to stop it, and buy us time so I can explain more."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Just listen. I won't be able to hang on for much longer! Once I go back to the present, the Max that exists in this timeline would have no clue of anything! I doubt she'll recognize you!"

Thank God that Chloe was a closet sci-fi movie fan or else she never would've understood what Max was talking about.

Max, still holding her head, glanced up at her friend. Her breathing was shaky, but she was able to take a deep breathes and begin her explaination. As she started talking, Chloe noticed the bathroom door. Or rather, the handle. It started jiggling.

Someone was coming in.

* * *

"Warren Graham?" Chloe asked in disbelief.

"Present," he replied with a smile. He shot a nervous glance at Chloe and a pained expression at Max. "I'm assuming you told her?"

"Wait," Chloe shouted, flabbergasted. "You know too? How the fuck does everyone know but me?"

Both Warren and Max ignored her comment. "Max, you went back in time before I could take my hand off your shoulder. I must have traveled back with you."

"I'm so glad to see you, Warren. But how do we know if I go back you will too?"

"We don't…"

Chloe looked back and forth between the couple. Then it hit her.

"Wait, you're with him, aren't you?"

They ignored her. "I have a theory, Max. You said your powers activated after Chloe got shot right? But when you prevented her death, you still had your powers. What if _something else_ caused your powers?"

As Max digested this, Chloe impulsively asked, "Wait, I got shot and died _here?"_

They ignored her again. Which annoyed her.

Suddenly, Max grabbed her photography school book out of her bag. She walked over to the sink and smacked her book against the wall. A beautiful blue butterfly fell dead to the floor.

Almost instantly, her headache cleared. Her nose stopped bleeding.

She smiled, "I think I did it."

Then her eyes rolled back. She started to fall.

* * *

"Oh shit!" both Warren and Chloe cried as Max crumpled to the ground. Fortunately too. Since Max slumped rather than fell, she didn't hit her head on the floor. The last thing the poor girl needed was a concussion.

"What the hell just happened, Warren?" Chloe shouted, her annoyance overcome with anxiety.

"I'm only assuming here. I believe that Max realized that that butterly is the root of her powers. By killing it, I believe she lost her powers."

"So she can't go back to the present? You're stuck in this timeline?"

Warren almost looked impressed. "I think so. It seems the most rational conclusion."

Chloe thought about it for a moment. While the two were talking, they had kneeled next to Max's unconscious body. The two talked over her, both in a protective stance.

"I still have almost no idea what is going on here, Warren."

"Max thankfully explained it to me before she traveled back here to save you. I can probably fill you in on whatever is left while she's… asleep?"

Chloe nodded to him, accepting his offer. The two looked at Max. She sort of looked peaceful. "This is the strangest day of my life," Chloe muttered.

"You're telling me," Warren answered. "If someone told me I was going to be traveling in time this morning, I would've told them to fuck off."

Chloe was a little surprised the nerd would cuss. She imagined him being more of a goody two shoes.

"Well, I mean… Er… in the past timeline…"

She offered him a smile, "I know what you meant, nerd."

Warren smiled back warmly. "We should probably go somewhere with her. It'll look weird if someone comes in and finds us kneeling over her unconsious body."

"Yeah. Especially since I'm not supposed to be here."

"Especially. So, where should we take her? We could try her dorm?"

"Maybe. But I definitely don't need to be caught by Sergeant Shithead, Blackwell's finest security guard. Not in the dorms. Let's take her to my house! My mom doesn't come home til late tonight and I can distract step-shit so he comes home later."

Warren shrugged. "That works. Less of a risk. How do you suppose we get her out of here?"

"Depends. Can you carry her?"

"Chloe, you literally just called me a nerd about a minute ago."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course. Well, I'll help you get her up. Let her lean against you. Leverage and shit. I'll go pull the fire alarm and distract Dictator Dipshit. The students and faculty will clear out and most likely go to the main campus. There's an exit in the teacher's lounge that leads directly to the parking lot. I know it from my troublesome teenage angst days. Anyway, take that and go to my truck. It's the shitty rusty brown one. Can't miss it, like that zit on your nose."

Warren subconsciously touched his snoz. "Hey, there isn't a zit on here."

"Wow, you're hella gullible," Chloe laughed. Warren smiled in good humor. "C'mon. Let's get this geek up."

The two newfound friends each took one of Max's shoulders and hoisted her upright as gently as possible. They walked her over to the door where Chloe deposited Max to Warren. "Take care of her will ya?"

"Always."

She nodded and opened the door slowly. She peeked out. A couple of students still mosied around the hallway. None were headed to towards the bathroom, but they would easily see Warren half-carry Max to her truck. Chloe turned and walked over to the back of the room. She approached the fire alarm with a large, mischievous grin on face. "Oops."

The blue haired girl pulled the alarm. Instantly, sirens and warnings blared throughout the school. Chloe returned to the door and peaked. The remaining students were rushing to the exits. Then, David Madsen walked out of an office nearby. Chloe closed the door softly. She turned to Warren, "I'll distract Captain Cockhole while you make the escape. I'll tap my foot on the door when you should leave. Count about 30 seconds then get out to the truck as fast as you can."

Warren nodded in agreement.

Chloe was just about to open the door when she heard Warren. "Uh, Chloe?"

"What?"

"Keys?"

"Oh, right," she dumbly stated and tossed him her car keys.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

She opened the door and was met with the moustacheoued monstrocity that was her step father. She leaned against the door casually and crossed her arms.

"Chloe," he said, crossing his arms. "How am I not surprised."

Chloe sarcastically saluted, "Attention Agent Asshole!"

"Enough with the disrespect, Chloe. Why are you on Blackwell school grounds?"

"I came to talk to Justin, okay? Now lay off."

"About what? Don't tell me it's about drugs."

Chloe remained silent.

"Well, Chloe! Any day now!"

"You said, 'Don't tell me it's about drugs.' Therefore, I'm not speaking. Honestly, you played yourself with that one."

"Jesus, Chloe! What the hell am I going to do with you?!"

Chloe gasped, "Language!"

David narrowed his eyes at her. "Please tell me it wasn't you that pulled that fire alarm."

"Hakuna Matata, Step Douche. I was only in there to take a leak before finding Justin. That's it."

Before David could reply, a bald suited man joined the coversation. "Mr. Madsen," said Principal Wells, "and Chloe Price. What a 'lovely' surprise."

Chloe narrowed her eyes at the Principal. Her expression turned sour. She didn't say anything.

"Mr. Madsen, the fire alarm seems to be going off. As I recall, it's your job to investigate and turn the damn thing off."

David was tempted to protest, but he knew it would do no good. With one last look at Chloe, he strode off to deal with the alarm.

"Ms. Price, as you are well aware, you are not supposed to be on campus after your expulsion."

Chloe rolled her eyes in response. "Oh, I know, _Raymond._ I just came to talk to one of your students. If I remember correctly, it is not a crime to do that. Also, I am aware classes end right now. So, in summary, you can bite me."

Principal Wells didn't even flinch. "Someday, Ms. Price, I hope you learn a trait called, 'Respect for your elders' it could prove useful someday."

"I only show respect for those who've earned it."

"Nevertheless, the point stands that you should not be on campus. It is my duty to escort you out."

"I can handle myself thanks."

"One would hope so, although since Mr. Madsen is preoccupied, I must be the one to escort you to the parking lot."

 _I can't let him follow me to the parking lot. He'll see Max and assume the worst. Mostly because they would be with me._ Chloe thinks to herself.

"Don't you have more important things to do? Like scare freshman? Or, I know! How about finding out who _actually_ pulled the fire alarm? And don't even try to insinuate it was me. There is absolutely no reason I would pull a fire alarm. I don't even have classes to skip."

After some thought, Wells replied, "I suppose you are right. I will choose to believe you, this time. However, I will walk you to the entrance. I trust you can find your own way to the parking lot."

"Fine," she tapped the bathroom door with her foot and calmly followed Principal Wells to the front entrance of the school. She walked as slow as she casually could, given the situation.

 _Hopefully this buys the nerd enough time. I can see why she likes him._

She removed the thought from her mind and stopped at the entrance.

"Stay out of trouble, Ms. Price."

"Don't I always?"

"Hmph."

Wells opened the door and she casually walked through. She took her time, her hands in her pockets, while walking to the parking lot. She hummed tunelessly as she passed. It actually felt nice outside for early October.

 _Did Max seriously travel through time to save my ungrateful ass? Did Nathan fucking Prescott actually shoot and kill me in a bathroom? This is hella insane._

 _How the hell did Max get a boyfriend? The two seemed like they were practically in love by the way they looked at each other._

Chloe was a very vulgar indiviual. She tried to imagine the two being intimate, but she couldn't picture it.

 _As long as she's happy. I can't believe I tried to kiss her._

Her emotions had been running high, she knew. She couldn't figure out what she meant by the kiss. She always thought Max was beautiful, but did she ever like her as more than a best friend?

Even if she did, Max had gotten really goo goo eyed with Warren. Hell, even in severe pain the mere sight of the nerd made Max smile like Mark Jefferson just told her she had the prettiest picture.

She fought hard to extinguish the jealousy that erupted in her heart. It was unfair to Max, who had just risked everything it sounds like to save Chloe, that she would feel that way. Chloe was sort of a closet geek herself. She knew that if Warren had not been able to follow her into this timeline, Max would have potentially been giving up her happiness with Warren just to save her life.

She decided then to give Warren a chance. She had given him one when they were in the bathroom, and he had proven himself to be smart, reliable, clever, honest and even a little funny. Though she could tell he was a little awkward, he so far inhabited all the traits that Chloe admired.

Hell, she could use more friends. Max had (hopefully) told Warren a lot about her, and Max seems trust him and his opinion. She'll give him a chance.

"Hey," Warren said, breaking her from her thoughts. "I have her seatbelted in. You wanna drive?"

"Yeah." Warren tossed her the keys. Chloe caught them and put her ass in the driver seat. She put them in the ignition and the truck came alive with a roar. "It helps me concentrate. So, talk."

Warren got in the seat farthest from Chloe. Max slumped in the middle seat. Her head rested on Warren's shoulder as she slept. He smiled at her and put his arm over shoulders. He kissed her head and she smiled in her unconscious state. Chloe tried to ignore them.

 _Vomit. Adorable overload._

"God, where do I begin?" Warren muttered.

He told her as much as he remembered. He started from what transpired the day Max first used her powers and got all the way to Kate's suicide attempt before Chloe stopped him.

"Holy shit, Graham cracker. This is one hella story. You're telling me I died, at least, like, 5 times in two days, and Kate tried to kill herself and Max saved us every time? She's like a fucking superhero!" she said excitedly.

"That's exactly what I'm saying and I'm not even halfway done." Warren replied. He scratched the back of his head as Chloe gave him a look of expectation. He looked out the window for a little bit and pondered whether or not he should continue before they arrived.

Fortunately for him, Chloe would park in her driveway. He took his and Max's seatbelt off. Chloe went around the truck to assist him. Gingerly, the two dragged Max out of the truck.

"Let her piggypack you."

"What?"

"She's your girlfriend, dude. You do the heavy lifting."

Warren blushed a deep scarlet but he didn't argue. To be honest, he never thought he'd be in a situation like this. He knelt on the ground and Chloe helped Max get on Warren's back. He wrapped his arms around her knees and hoisted her up.

"Lighter than I thought."

"You're surprised? Warren, she is literally a stick."

"Point taken." The two chuckled as Chloe led the way into her house. She led him upstairs and guided him to her bed. There, she helped Warren gently lay Max on her bed and they covered her up.

"So what now?" asked Warren.

"Now," said Chloe with a big smile on her face. "Warren Graham, we medicate."

* * *

 **Sorry for the shorter chapter, but since it's shorter I can get it out faster to you guys. I hope you enjoyed. It was definitely challenging but ultimately a ton of fun writing Chloe. On the same note, I hope I'm writing a potential bond between Warren and Chloe well. It's a lot of fun to write this, because I don't think too many people would see them be friends.**

 **Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I'm honestly just surprised this story is getting so much attention! I'm eternally grateful to all of you.**

 **Holywoodunderfed**


	6. Bonding

**Hey everyone, less plot development and more character development here. Still, I hope you enjoy this new chapter!**

Chloe reached into her stash in her desk and promptly sat on said desk. She took her lighter and her blunt out of her pocket. With a cheesy grin, she lit up. Warren watched semi-curiously as Chloe took her hit. He was left with the unfortunate position of not knowing what to do. Not knowing where to put his hands or where to stand. Could he sit? He didn't know.

"Dude", Chloe said after blowing her smoke, "you can sit down."

Warren sheepishly sat on the edge of her bed. He suddenly had an itch on the nape of his neck. He scratched absentmindedly as he watched Max sleep. She quietly breathed a small sigh.

"Not to bring you down, Graham, but it's a little creepy watching you watch her sleep."

Warren blanched and turned his head hard and away from his sleeping girlfriend. He felt embarrassed and uncomfortable.

Chloe chuckled and held out the blunt to Warren. Warren looked up and barely hesitated before shaking his head no. If he ever chose to smoke (and he probably won't), he didn't think now would be the appropriate time.

He wondered for a second if he should continue Max's story through time. It seemed logical, but it seemed unfair to her. Max had survived through two months of mourning and loneliness to reunite with her friend for all of 5 minutes. Chloe, for her part, had now not even seen hide nor hair of her friend for years. They deserved some time for themselves, and he knew Chloe deserved to hear the story from Max. He knew she trusted Max, probably more than anyone alive today.

Chloe probably didn't trust him, let alone _like_ him. She was most likely just dealing with him until Max got up. He supposed the two of them weren't going to be close, but he was going to try to be friends with her.

He thought about just returning to his dorm room altogether. He thought about just leaving Max to Chloe so they could have a proper reunion. He didn't want to leave Max though. He didn't want to leave her again.

Chloe's voice surprised him. "Well, Graham, I'm out. We can't just sit here and watch Sherlock here sleep. We got hella adventures to go on."

 _Hella? Is this where Max got that little gem from?_ Warren smiled a little as Chloe walked to her door.

"Well?" she said, "Are you coming?"

Before Warren could process this, his unlikely companion gave him a cheeky grin and strode out of the room and down the stairs. Warren shook his head and disbelief and decided to follow the girl. Warm sunlight beamed down on his face as he walked out of the front door. Surprisingly Chloe had already climbed her way into her truck and started the car.

"When do you think Mr. Madsen or your mom will be back, Chloe?" he couldn't help but ask the blue-haired girl.

Chloe returned his question with a shit-eating grin and shrugged. "Mom works late tonight. Who knows when Sgt. Shithead will come back." She shrugs. "I doubt he'll check my room if he comes back, unless he has fucking cameras everywhere."

Warren shrugged. He knew Mr. Madsen had a reputation of being "over-protective", so to speak, but he doubted the man would go so far as to put cameras in his own home. That was just perverted.

"And by the way, Graham, don't call that piece of shit _Mr. Madsen,"_ she said in a crude imitation of Warren's voice, "that fucker doesn't deserve an ounce of respect."

Warren got a little irritated at her imitation of him. But still he chuckled. Partly because of what he knew, party because Chloe was actually a little funny. "He really does care about you. Even if he doesn't show it."

Chloe put the car into reverse and spun out of the driveway. Even still, she was rolling her eyes at him the entire time. Warren pondered if it were safe for her to drive high. Probably not, but at least she was more placid than she were clean.

"Please," she said, driving out of the street and going into downtown Arcadia Bay. "The only things _David_ loves is his car, the military, and his ego. That's it."

Warren wasn't the biggest fan of David Madsen. That's for sure. But he remembered as clear as day how distraught he was when Chloe died. He had never seen the man more vulnerable than when he gave his brisk eulogy at her funeral. He remembered feeling sorry for the man. After some thought, he said, "Chloe, I know he cares. After you had died, he went to your funeral. I'd never seen him so broken. He, Max, and your mom are probably the strongest people I know."

To her credit, the girl took a moment or two to digest that sentiment. Eventually, she muttered, "Warren?"

It was almost so quiet, he wasn't sure he heard her. He felt as if he did something wrong. Man, his neck itched again.

"Do me a favor." Not a question, but a quiet demand.

"Yeah?"

"Don't talk about any possible futures until Max wakes up."

"Okay."

The truck moved on through town. Warren watched the people meander through town, oblivious to the nearly impossible coincidences and decisions that led to these two people being at this place at this time. Unfortunately, neither of these unlikely companions knew what to say to break the awkward silence that polluted the atomosphere inside the truck. Warren himself struggled to think of something the two of them had in common to break the silence.

Fortunately, Chloe found her voice. "If all this weird shit wasn't going down Graham cracker, what would you be doing right now?"

Warren sat up a little in his seat. Thankfully this was something he could pitch in on. "I would probably be using my flash drive as an excuse to talk to Max."

Out of his peripheral vision, Warren watched Chloe wiggle her eyebrows suggestively. Warren belly laughed, "Not that kind of flash drive!"

She laughed at his exclamation. It was a relief to hear her laugh and enjoy his company. After a few seconds of laughter she continued, "And then…?"

"Try to find the courage to ask her to the drive-in. Obviously that's a moot point now."

He smiled and she even smiled a little. Which quickly morphed into a smirk. "She's so fucking in love with you, dude."

"You think so?"

"I know my best friend. I had never seen the look she gave you."

"That's good right?"

"God," she said sarcastically. "For such a nerd you really are oblivious."

"I may have heard that one before."

They laughed together. It was now almost like their own inside joke. "So which movie were you going to ask her to go to? Hopefully something badass like Blade Runner."

"Nope. Even though I know your favorite movie is Blade Runner."

"That bitch told you _way_ too much about me."

"That she did." Warren shot her his own cheeky grin. "But no, I wanted to take her to a _Planet of the Apes_ marathon."

Chloe suddenly hit the breaks inside a deserted parking lot. Warren had to put his hands in front of him to avoid his head smacking against the dashboard. He had not even noticed that they had arrived at the beach. "No way. No _fucking_ way. You were going to ask your future _girlfriend_ to an _ape movie marathon?!"_

"Yeah!" Warren said adamantly. "She would even agree to go! We were going to go ape and-"

Chloe cut him off with her laughter. She laughed so hard that he could see tears in the corners of her eyes. When she finally caught her breath, she exclaimed. "You were going to go ape on each other! You were going to do the monkey business!"

"We weren't gonna-"

She pointed at him and laughed. "You were going to climb on top of her and go-" she exaggeratingly pounded on her chest and made loud "ape" noises.

Warren sighed in defeat. He let her laugh it off. When she finally calmed down, he asked good naturedly, "I assume we're here now?"

"Yep!" she said cheerfully. She opened the door and before she closed it she shouted, "C'mon, Monkey Man!" She promptly slammed the door before Warren could retort.

"Urg," was roughly all he had to say before exiting her truck.

Grinning, his companion pounded her fist against a trailer. After a few moments, a blonde man came out. Warren did not recognize the man, but could only assume this was the one and only Frank. Frank was wearing a red t-shirt with a black falcon design on it. He wore brown pants and had an unlit cigarette in his mouth.

"Price? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Why else would I be here, Frank? So," she said still grinning. She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "You got any?"

"Jesus, Price. You always come at the worst times. I was eating my beans."

She rolled her eyes. "You're always eating fucking beans."

Warren shuffled his feet awkwardly. Frank noticed.

"Who the hell is he?"

"A friend," Chloe said immediately. "Don't worry, he's cool. Sooo…"

"I got some," he said. He finally took his eyes off Warren and reset them back at Chloe. "But you still owe me money."

Chloe moaned in disdain. The ever present debt she carried with Frank stuck with her like glue. "C'monnnn. You know you love me! Let me have some…"

"Not unless you have some fucking money. I'm not a charity service."

Warren dug in his pocket for his wallet. If he remembered right, he had a 20 on him. He pulled his wallet out of his pocket and produced that 20 and flashed it. Frank noticed and eyed the boy. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Money," he said semi-confidently

Chloe smiled and plucked the 20 out of Warren's hand. "My generous friend here has offered a donation to satisfy your greedy demands." She handed over said donation and Frank sighed.

"Fine. I'll be right to get you what you want." He eyed Warren once more than headed to the back of his trailer.

"That was so badass." Chloe looked over at Warren and offered him a fist bump. Warren cautiously took it. Warren didn't want to admit it, but Frank intimidated him. "I owe you one," she stated.

Within a minute, Frank came back and he exchanged (very secretly. Well at least as secretly as he could), a plastic baggie in Chloe's outstretched hand. Frank stared down Warren one last time before simply saying, "Next time, kid, don't go flashing your money like that. Makes you seem… eager." He looked at Chloe's smirk and back at Warren. "And find some better fucking friends."

The dealer then promptly slammed the door in the two teens faces.

Chloe happily put her new possession deep in her pocket. With a nod she implied that Warren should walk with her on the beach.

 _How in the hella did I end up in the situation?_

 _Wait, did I just think hella?_

 _Fuck, now she's getting to me._

"Something on your mind, Ape Boy?"

Warren blinked himself out of his thoughts. He just said the first thing on his mind. "Frank's kind of a…"

"Dick?"

"Something like that."

"That's just what he wants you to think," she said sagely. "He wants everyone to be intimidated by him. In reality, he cares more than he lets on. Hell, he saved a dog from a dog fighting rink. He deserves some credit."

 _She's more intuitive then I give her credit for,_ Warren thinks to himself. The two walk in comfortable silence before Chloe sat down on the sand. She motioned with her hand for Warren to sit beside her.

He sat beside her and took off his shoes and socks. He dipped them into the ocean. The cool water felt good on his skin. Chloe pulled a lighter and blunt out of her pocket. As daredevilish as only she can be, she lit up and smoked her joint. She puffed her smoke out and extinguished it into the sand. "I tried to kiss, Max."

Warren felt white hot anger course through his veins. He wanted to get up and scream at her and rip her a new one. And he almost did. But somehow the rational part of him reasoned that he should listen to her. Hear her out.

"Why?" It came out harsh. But it was justified. Chloe, on her part, looked slightly chastised.

"It was a heat of the moment type thing. She had just reappeared, suddenly, and claimed she loved me and…" she shrugged. "I don't know.

When I was 14, I was just starting to, what did my shrink call it? 'Get in touch with my sexuality?' when I randomly thought of Pris from Blade Runner. Then, soon after that, Max.

Yeah, I know, too much information.

What I'm basically saying Warren G. Harding, is that Max was my first crush. Goddamn, I'm cringing just saying that. Anyway, when Max moved away, I lost more than a best friend, you can understand. Then she comes back, out of the blue. It just reminded me of Rachel. My angel always being there at the right place, at the right time…" she trailed off and shrugged.

Warren's anger slowly subsided as sympathy grew for Chloe. He didn't know what to say, so he nerdishly drew chemical formulas in the sand.

"You two, as squeamish as it makes me to say, are cute together. It makes me puke how revoltingly adorable you two are. Anyway, what I'm basically saying is, I'm glad she has you, nerd. But if you ever hurt her," she smirked and gave him a look. "I'll bury you alive."

Before Warren could answer, they were interrupted by an onrush of sand from behind.

"What a strange pairing," said a sardonic voice behind them.

Victoria and Nathan cockily walked up to the duo. They wore respective shorts and tank tops for the unseasonably warm weather. They also wore matching sneers. "The punk and the alpha phag. What a trip," Nathan added.

Chloe stood and faced the two antagonistic students. "Chase and Prescock. How am I _not_ surprised."

"Whatever. You and that little bitch didn't scare me in that bathroom. None of you better say shit."

"Or else." He said as he bumped his chest into Chloe. The two locked eyes and stared at each other. Warren looked at them and looked at the smug look on Victoria's face. He sighed and inserted himself between them. He knew not to be too confrontational, he didn't want a shiner like Max showed him he had.

He got between the two warring teenagers and separated him with his hands. He prepared himself for a Prescott sucker punch but one never came. Perhaps he didn't want things to get violent in front of Victoria.

"Watch your back, Price. We wouldn't want things to get ugly."

"I think she's more scared of your haircut than you, Nathan," Warren couldn't help but to retort.

Nathan's notstrils flaired. He started to get up in Warren's face until Victoria's maroon-nailed fingers stopped him. "Nathan, you're supposed to take me to the pier." Nathan shot her a look, but she shot him a glare back, determined. "Leave Price and Gayram to their geeky activies," she looked down on them over her nose. "We have more _important_ things to do."

Nathan looked back at Victoria. With a glare at both Chloe and Warren, he took Victoria's wishes and they stalked off down the beach.

"Warren, that was so fucking cool. You almost made me laugh out loud when you mentioned his hair. The look on his face was hella priceless."

Warren thanked her, but his mind was preoccupied. He thought of how much Victoria had changed in the months that passed Chloe's death in the past timelines. She didn't become a saint, but she had become more sympathetic and understanding. To the point that Max and Victoria could be considered friends. Disappointingly, it couldn't be said the same now. This was possibly the worst thing about going back.

Well, aside from Nathan and Jefferson being free.

Chloe had stepped in front of Warren and had shouted, "Brain Boy," removing him from his mind.

"What?"

"Were you even listening to me?"

"Yeah… mostly. Stuff about Nathan and Victoria. Max probably not answering your texts."

"Did you hear the part of having sand in your hair?"

"No," he said, shaking out his wavy locks. "I should really get a hair cut."

She smiled widely in response. "Let's go get one then! There is a barber shop right by the Outta Sight clothing store!"

Well, if there's one thing he liked about Chloe, it was her never ending enthusiasm. Jeez, he thought marijuana was supposed to make people relax.

Even still, he followed her into her truck.

Minutes later, he found himself sitting in a vermilion barber's chair, a mid-20s, reasonably handsome black man named Terrell snipping at his long hair. It had been a long time since he last remembered getting a hair cut. Yet something felt achingly familiar about getting one.

Chloe excused herself once Terrell had started clipping his way through Warren's hair. About 10 or so minutes later, she returned with her hands behind her back. First, she adressed Terrell, "How much longer?"

Terrell shrugged, "Almost done."

Chloe nodded and adressed her companion, "Guess what?"

He raised an eyebrow expectantly at her, "What?"

She excitedly whipped her arms around and displayed her secret in front of her body. It was a blue shirt with a white Periodic Table of Elements displaying brightly on it.

"Chloe, you shouldn't have…" he said in response. Terrell, in the meantime, took the apron off his neck and shoulders.

She shrugged. "I wasn't going to just sit here and watch you get your haircut. It looks nice by the way. Don't expect me to say anything else about it, attention whore. Anyway, I saw the shirt and said, "Who is the biggest nerd I know?"

"Obviously, you're looking at him," forcing a smile.

"Try it on." Warren tried it on, and, he knew it would be a perfect fit. It was the exact same shirt Max had gotten him in the timeline before they saved Chloe. He knew she did not want to know this, so he kept it to himself.

But looking at Chloe's face as he told he loved the shirt, he could tell that she actually likes him as a friend. She clearly stole this shirt for him, unless she somehow magically created money out of thin air. He was willing to accept this without an issue, because he was just grateful she accepted him as a friend.

After Warren tried on the shirt and took off the tags, he paid Terrell for his services. As he paid both the new friends received dual texts.

 **Message from Max**

 **5:46 p.m.**

 _Hey guys, I just woke up. Can you come back to Chloe's? FYI: David came home and he's unfortunately pissed that you're (Chloe) not home and I am. I managed to talk him down. :3_

Chloe read the message to him as he received his change. Another message came in, and he dug his phone to look at it.

 **Unknown number (503) 781-4512**

 **5:46 p.m.**

 _Were on our way_

Warren saved her number just before her next message came in.

 **Message from Chloe**

 **5:47 p.m.**

 _NO EMOJI_

"Let's go," Chloe said with a smile and nod of her head.

"Hey," said Terrell behind him. "You said you're a nerd right?"

"Uh," Warren replied. "Yeah…"

"We don't have time for this shit," Chloe said. Her voice betraying her irritiation. "We gotta get going."

"I just need one question answered. I really don't know it. For my astronomy homework, man."

"Go ahead," Warren complied politely.

"What's the most abundant element on Earth?"

"Iron," Chloe said without hesitation. "Let's go, Graham!"

Warren just shrugged, "She's right."

Impressed that Chloe is much smarter than he gave her credit for, he ran a hand through his newly trimmed hair and followed her into the truck.

The silence that filled the truck was much less awkward than the one going into town. There was a newfound respect that existed between the two of them. Although both knew that they might never have the same bond that they had with Max, they knew that this knew one they had had potential.

When they arrived, Chloe nimbly jumped out of the truck and practically skipped into the house. She also nearly skipped right into the step-father.

"Where do you think you're going, girlie?"

Chloe rolled her eyes so aggressively that Warren worried they might fall out of her skull. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me 'girlie'? You make me sound like a child."

"Don't avoid the question. Why do you have a random girl sleeping in your room?"

"Nice try, David. But we both know that that _girl_ is Max Caulfield." Chloe crossed her arms. "It's like you don't even pay attention to the students your supposed to secure. I guess what happens when you have your cameras, you don't need to learn names."

David was just about to angrily retort when Warren jumped in. He tried to not to stare at the vein that pulsed in David's forehead.

"Max was beat from photography class when we got here. We decided to let her sleep while I… got a haircut."

Unbeknownst to Warren, just a few minutes ago, Max Caulfield had told him a very similar story. David, of course, had read Warren Graham's file. Striaght A student, teacher's pet, but had a small pention for playing pranks. Still a trustworthy kid.

Luckily, David decided that he could most likely trust this kid. Possibly more than his step-daughter.

"Fine. Go upstairs. Keep it quiet, I have some stuff to work on. And don't think I don't know why your eyes are red, Chloe."

"Whatever," Chloe said, thankfully shoving past her step-father and stomping her way upstairs.

With one last fleeting look at David, Warren followed his friend up the stairs and through her bedroom door to find his girlfriend sitting Native American style on Chloe's bed. She shook a fresh poloroid out from her camera and smiled at the two of them, "Hey, guys.

We need to talk."

 **Thank you to everyone who reviews. It lets me know you are reading and you want more which speeds up the process.**

 **Til next time!**

 **Holywoodunderfed**


	7. Limbo

**This is the shortest chapter so far. I mean it literally took me a whole day. That's _with_ editing. Still, I hope you enjoy. Don't forget to tell me what you think! **

* * *

Max smelled ocean water. Which was surprising, given the last thing she remembered was looking at her boyfriend and her best friend in the girl's bathroom. Now, with her eyes still closed, she could smell ocean water and…

Was that sand?

She felt around slowly with her hands and felt hot grains in her fingers. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Unless someone had blew up the toilets and filtered sand in, Max would guess she was at the beach.

Max unintentionally let out a squeak and sat up. She surveyed her surroundings and started to panic when she saw there was no one in sight.

 _Am I at the beach? Where are Chloe and Warren?_

She looked out to the west and saw the lighthouse. Which gave her momentary relief.

 _At least I'm still in Arcadia Bay._

She walked around a bit, confused. She just realized her feet were bare on the sand. Miraculously, the sand had cooled to a pleasant degree. As she noticed her bare feet, she noticed she was dressed in a plain white t-shirt, a white bra and white shorts. A light, pleasant breeze riffed through her hair.

She looked once more around herself. All she saw was sand, ocean and lighthouse, until her eye caught a brown pier. At the end of said pier, sat a dirty blonde woman clad in a red and black shirt. The woman lifted her hand and brushed hair behind her ears. Blue earrings gleamed back at herself.

Max felt an urge to talk to this woman. It couldn't be who she thought it was. Could it? After all, stranger things have happened.

She approached the woman and awkwardly shuffled her feet. But suddenly the woman turned around. At least her head.

"Hey. You must be Max. I'm Rachel."

"Rachel Amber?"

"The one and only," she smiled pleasantly.

"Where are we? What are we doing here? Are you alive? W-"

"Whoa," she held her hands up, laughing. "Hold the fire. Sit down and chill. You probably haven't done that in forever."

Max huffed. She was dying for answers, but sadly Rachel was right. She hadn't had time to wind down. Ironically, the only winding she's done has been rewinding.

Max sat on the pier on the right side of Rachel. The water was just high enough to put her feet in. The warm water felt pleasing to Max's skin. She sighed in contentment.

"Good?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Now ask your questions. I have a feeling you have a lot of them."

"Uh, sure. Where are we?"

Rachel eyed Max carefully before taking a deep breath. "Limbo," she said carefully.

"Limbo?"

"Limbo. The place between life and death."

"Are you saying that I... died?"

"Yes and no. What I mean is, and, keep in mind, I don't know everything, but whenever you crushed that butterfly, you killed a part of yourself. You lost your powers and a small piece of yourself. I'm going to be honest, I think the shock of suddenly losing your abilities might have exhausted you or nearly killed you, but I know you're still alive."

Max's eyes widened. "How do you know?"

Rachel shrugged. Her voice betrayed sympathy for Max's confusion. "It's hard to describe. It's like I can see you, but I can't really. I'm not going to try, but I'm sure if I tried to touch you, I'd go right through you."

"So I'm basically a ghost?"

"Basically. I can still see your features. Like your freckles, your brown hair and your blue eyes, but it's like looking through a thin mist," she shrugged, satisfied with her analogy.

"I'm not sure how, but I used the last of whatever power I have to send you here. This, Max," she said, looking out into the horizon, "is my limbo."

"I'm not sure I understand."

"Sometimes, I don't either. Isn't it beautiful though?"

Max took a second to survey her surroundings. The brilliant ocean, the phenomenal sand, the magnificent horizon. Could Rachel have created this? "It is. I love it. I would take a picture of it if I could."

The girl beside her nodded in satisfaction. "It loses touch when you see it everyday. By the way, that's why you're wearing the white clothes. I could've have you wear any clothes, but, I admittedly didn't think about it too much. I was too concerned bringing you here.

"This is fine. You have powers too?"

"Yeah. I never had a chance to understand them before Nathan killed me," she said this nonchalantly, as if she were talking about the latest death in a TV show.

"You barely even sound upset about your own death!" Max replied, flabberghasted.

Rachel chuckled, "Trust me, Max. I've had wayyy to much time on my hands to still be angry. I turned this place into a junkyard and a demolition derby way too many fucking times."

"How does that work? Do you imagine it and just BOOM?!"

"You sound just like Chloe," Rachel laughed and turned to look at Max. Then she turned a little solemn before turning back to the horizon. "Kind of. It would take too long to explain limbo to you. Let's just go with the way you described it."

"Okay," Max said quietly. She felt bad. It was pretty clear that Rachel missed Chloe.

"You're probably wondering why I brought you here."

"That may have crossed my mind."

"I thought so. Simply: I just summoned you to talk to you."

"I feel special," she said as a joke. She even grinned for emphasis.

The joke proved to be successful, "As you should."

"I called you here to discuss strategy, I guess. Like Chloe when she played D&D with Stephanie."

Max had no idea who Stephanie was, but Chloe playing D&D?

Rachel chuckled, "Yeah, she wouldn't ever admit it, but she really enjoyed it."

"Anyway, pressed for time and everything. You don't have your rewind power, so you don't have any more second chances. So, what's the first thing you should do?"

Max thought for a while. There seemed to be an obvious answer to this, but still she felt it was the wrong one.

"Put away Jefferson and Nathan."

Rachel made Family Fued wrong answer type noise in the back of her throat, "Wrong answer, Caulfield. Try again."

Max blushed, (if that were possible in limbo). She racked her brain for the right answer but came up with nothing. "I don't know?"

"Give up that easy?"

Max nodded.

"Well, not to bring you down, but remember in the timeline before with the tornado? On Tuesday? What happened?"

"Fuck! Kate! How could I forget?"

Rachel nodded sagely. "Because she had been so happy the last few months, you nearly forgot she was ever depressed. You need to help her first before she does something everyone will regret. You have to be careful though. You will only have one chance. I know you'll find a way though. If there's one thing I know about you, you always put others before yourself."

Max pondered Chloe's words for a second. "How do you know all this?"

"I watch. Being in limbo gives me time to reflect before I move on. I'm stuck here with a lot of regrets and I just can't get passed them. Yeah, I know, I'm almost like a character a lazy author or director would put in a story to make a cameo appearence to teach the main character a lesson. Oh, what a shithole my life has become."

"Aren't you dead, though?"

Rachel laughed so hard she started crying. She pushed her heels in her eyes and wiped the tears.

"Touché, Max," she sighed. "Holy fuck it's been a long time since I laughed like that. Thank you."

"No problem," Max smiled. She was glad to help the girl. She wished she had known her in real life. She was sure they would have gotten close.

"I can see why people like you. Funny, smart, talented, cute, you got it all, Max."

Max blushed scarlet. "Uh, thanks."

"Not used to compliments?"

"No, not really."

"I can understand. You want to see how I do it?"

"Sure," Max said. Her morbid curiosity overcoming her.

Rachel dipped her toe in the water. The water rippled and Max could see a scene. Warren and Chloe stood off with Nathan and Victoria.

"I think she's more scared of your haircut than you, Nathan."

Rachel wistled. "Oh, shit."

The two watched as Victoria grabbed Nathan and pulled him away from making a bigger confrontation.

"Wowser," Max whispered as Rachel caused another ripple in the water. The water lost the image and reduced to its normal color.

"They should be more careful. They should know not to provoke Nathan," said Max.

"In all fairness, I doubt he has a gun in swim trunks and a t-shirt. And Chloe has a habit of making people around her more daring. Plus, you know how your boyfriend gets when his friends are in danger. Give Victoria some credit too. She may be a pretentious bitch at times, but she kept Nathan in check. Usually."

Max nodded. She'd seen first hand how protective Warren could get. And felt firsthand Chloe's influence. "You know a lot, don't you?"

Rachel scoffed. "I have nothing else to do."

Max let herself have a moment to compose herself before starting her next question. "How should I g-?"

Max started shaking violently. She laid back on the pier and felt her thrash. "What's happening to me?"

Rachel sat up. "Shit! It looks like someone's trying to wake you up! We only have a minute or so, so listen to me, Max! I don't know what's going to happen, but trust yourself and be careful!"

"There's so many things I need to ask you, Rachel!"

"I'm sorry, Max. But I think it's time for me to go too! Just promise me something, okay?"

Max could somehow feel herself regaining consciousness. Her vision started getting blurry. She could still see Rachel's face over her, however. "What is it?"

"Tell Chloe and Frank that I love them! And I'm sorry. Even if they won't listen, they need to know! And Max?"

"Yeah?" She could see a white light behind Rachel. It started getting brighter.

"It was nice to meet you. Still, I hope I don't see you anytime soon!"

Max smiled as the white light swallowed Rachel whole.

"Me too."


	8. To Save a Friend

**Before there is confusion, if there is a paragraph of italic text, it's the thoughts of a character.**

Joyce had finally made it home, a bag of groceries in hand. She tried not to let herself dwell on thoughts of a certain other time she had gotten groceries. The memory of William's death still haunted the woman beyond the years. Even with David as her rock, it was impossible to forget the man who had originally stolen her heart all those years ago. The fact that she was able to keep moving forward, despite such a heavy loss, was a testament to who she was as a person. However, as a mother, she felt she was not as up to par. Although she felt far from failing her only daughter, she would be remiss to ignore how unflinchingly rebellious her only daughter has become. She wished she knew some way to make her daughter happy again. She couldn't imagine what would happen if she lost her.

God, what would she do if she lost Chloe too?

She knew that the last few years had been rough on her daughter. First, she loses her father. Then, her best friend to Seattle. To only add to the devastation, a new step-father, who, despite his best, (admittedly not great), parenting tactics had left Chloe feeling more alone than before.

Then, enter Rachel Amber.

Joyce couldn't decide whether Rachel was a good influence, or a bad influence, but either way, she had given a light to Chloe's world that Joyce had long thought had been out.

Then, exit Rachel Amber.

Joyce tried to release the stress in her system with a heavy sigh. She dropped the groceries on the kitchen counter. She wished something good would happen to Chloe. Something that could help set her straight. At this point, it would take a miracle…

Joyce cringed as she felt rather than heard the sound of a door slam. She turned from the refrigerator to spot two teenagers lumbering down the stairs. "Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle. Max Caulfield! Long time, no see!"

"Hi, Joyce," the teenager said in a tired voice. Behind her, to the mother's surprise, flagged a boy. Although she did not know him well, she remembered that his name was Warren Graham. He had come to the diner a handful of times. Even leaving "scientific graffiti" on one of their tables.

Still her curitosity peaked, _What is Max doing with a boy? Could they be-?_

Well, despite herself, she couldn't imagine Max dating. But then again, she hadn't seen hide nor hair of the girl for 5 years. Perhaps the shy, timid girl she knew had changed.

"What brings you two here on this lovely afternoon?"

She noticed that Warren scratched the back of his neck and shuffled his feet awkwardly as Max answered with some hesitation. "We were just… reuniting with Chloe."

Just as the words escaped Max's mouth, the three were bombarded by the blasting strain of Firewalk's "Breakdown" echoing through the walls of the house. "I see that it went well," Joyce couldn't help but sarcastically reply.

"You could say that," Max replied with a grimace.

"Aren't you going to tell her to turn that down?" Warren inquired, curious.

Suddenly, David burst through the garage door and thundered his way up the stairs. All the while the man muttered something along the lines of, "Told her to shut that garbage off."

"I don't think I need to," Joyce answered with a resigned sigh.

"Let me help with those," Warren said. He gently pushed passed Max and helped Joyce put the food stuffs away. Joyce thanked him with a small smile. She took off her apron and slung it on the counter.

"How was Seattle, Max?"

Max walked over to her friend and helped put the rest of the groceries away. "It was good, Joyce. Center of the arts and everything. I missed you and Chloe though."

"We missed you both, too. Even if Chloe up there isn't showing it. I don't mean to sound like your mother, honey, but you look dead tired."

"I am dead tired, Joyce. You could say it's been a hell of a long day," the blonde watched Max and Warren share a look and smile, as if they had their own private joke. It was cute to watch the two interact. She could tell they were close.

Once they were finished with their odd job, Max turned to face Joyce, "If it's not too much trouble, do you think you can take Warren and I back to Blackwell? Chloe kind of drove us here, and, well, let's just say we don't think she'll be in the mood to return us."

"Sure, I can do that sweetheart. Warren, would you grab the keys of the table in the hallway and start the car? I want to talk to our Max real quick."

After nodding, the boy in question went out to the get the keys and accomplish his mission. Max leaned against the counter-top and put her hands in her jacket pockets. "So, what brings you back to Arcadia Bay?"

"Well, honestly," the girl started. Her voice was littered with guilt and shame, "I came back for Mr. Jefferson's class. Before everything happened, he was a world class photographer and teacher. I just luckily ran into Chloe. I'm sorry I didn't come over sooner I-"

"Max," Joyce interrupted the girl's rant. She knew that Max could potentially rant if she got anxious. "It's okay. You wanted to start over. Make new friends."

Max blushed, the heat reached her ears. Joyce in answer raised her eyebrows and nodded her head towards the front yard. "How long has that been going on?"

Max rolled the sleeves up in her jacket, unintentionally imitating who Joyce was discussing. She let a small smile slip through her lips. "Uh, just recently. Are we that obvious?"

"No, just a hopeful guess. I'm glad he makes you happy. I hope some of that rubs off on Chloe. It has been tough on her. She could use more joy in her life."

Max put her hand on Joyce's shoulder blade and rubbed comfortingly. "I'm sure she will soon. I'm not going to leave Chloe again. I promise," she reassured quietly.

The two let a small silence pass until Joyce interrupted. "We should go out to the car before Warren starts to worry."

As the two left the house for the car, a certain blue haired figure stood at the window, a gun in her hand.

* * *

It took some doing, but Max had finally convinced David to leave her alone. Once he had left, she had texted Chloe and Warren that she was awake. While she waited, she sat criss-crossed applesauced and tried out her powers several times. She tried throwing a pillow down to the floor and rewinding it back to the bed to no avail. She even tried recovering a picture from her journal and going back, but all she could see was a still photograph. All she could hear was the sound of her breathing.

So, no powers. The realization left Max with feelings of relief and loss. Finally, a burden has been lifted off her shoulders. At the same time, if she fucked up, she had to live with it. The next few days were going to be the toughest. She had to help Kate, she had to put away Jefferson and Nathan, and she had a town to save. The very checklist itself sounded daunting.

 _At the very least_ , she thought, _I have two people that can back me up._ The knowledge that she did not have to do it all alone rose her spirits a monumentous degree.

 _Max, you better take a picture. To make sure you aren't as lost as you feel. With all the revelations and the visions lately, you need something to bring you back to Earth._

She took her trusty camera out of her bag. It felt strange holding this camera when she had grown accustomed to William's old camera. Still, she held the camera out to arms' length and posed. Her chin tucked mildly into her neck as she looked into the camera.

 _No smile, Max. These next few chapters of your life will be the most serious they've ever been._

With a seemingly loud _snap!_ the camera flashed a (hopefully) wonderful selfie of one Max Caulfield. She took the poloroid that came out and shook it.

As she shook the image in her hand, she heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Two out of three of her favorite people had shown up.

"Welcome back to the world of the living, hippie!" Chloe said with a smile. Chloe, just Chloe, stood at the doorway and winked before stepping inside her room and to her left to reveal her boyfriend and his new haircut.

The sight of him smiling shyly at her caused her throat to tighten and her cheeks to flush. She breifly remembered her vision, Warren in his haircut cracking jokes with Chloe as the tornado roared in the backround.

She forced a smile at the both of them. "Hey, guys. We need to talk."

Both Chloe and Warren caught the serious tone in Max's voice, yet, Chloe felt the need to make the situation lighter.

"You're not even going to compliment your boyfriend's hair?" Chloe smirked playfully at her friend.

"You didn't let me finish!" Max's cheeks regained their normal color. She asked Warren with her eyes to come sit next to her, he seemed to have gotten the message because he slid past Chloe. "Of course you look good, Warren," she grinned as Warren gave her a small shy smile in gratitude. Max's heart fluttered in adoration. She looked back to Chloe with a quizzical look on her face, "I wouldn't expect you would be the one to go fishing for compliments, Chlo."

She shrugged, "I do what I can to help the needy." The smirk somehow got even broader on the girl's face. She walked over to a chair and sat in it backwards. Her chest leaned against the back of said chair.

"Hey!" Warren protested as he sat next to Max, "I'm not needy."

"You keep telling yourself that, Monkey Man. That's right," she said to Max with a wink. "I know all about you and Warren's monkey business."

Max shoot her a playful look. "I can see you two had fun while I was out for the count." She felt a hand slowly sneak into hers. She fought the urge to break into a smile, but let him intertwine his fingers with hers.

"So," Chloe said. She kicked her feet up on the messy excuse she had for a desk and peered at the couple. "What do we need to talk about?"

"I had another vision." Max's tone now completely serious.

She could hear the curiosity in Warren's voice as he spoke. "How that possible? Didn't you lose your powers?"

"I have. Before you guys got here, I tested on those pillows over there. I can't reverse time anymore."

Chloe looked disappointed. "Then how did you have a vision?"

"The vision wasn't from me. It was from someone else."

"But," Warren asked, "who could've sent you a vision?"

"It was less of a vision. More like I was sent somewhere. Somewhere by someone with powers."

"Somewhere like…?"

"Somewhere like Limbo."

"Limbo?"

Suddenly, Chloe got up from her chair and started to frantically pace around the room. While she paced she muttered, "No way."

"Warren?" Max muttered. "How much did you tell her?"

"I only just got through the second day," he replied in the same tone.

"Shit," Max whispered. This was not going to end well. "Chloe I-"

"Don't fucking sugarcoat it, Max!" her best friend's voice raising in octave. "What happened to Rachel?!"

"S-she's…" she stuttered. She hated seeing Chloe like this. She wished she could calm down. It flustered Max to see her like this.

"She's dead, Chloe," Warren answered, his voice barely above a whisper.

The news of Rachel's demise stopped Chloe cold for a few seconds. Max and Warren watched Chloe, trying to prepare for her apparent breakdown. "How?" was all she said. Her voice was in the verge of breaking. Pure unadulterated emotion etched across her face.

"She, uh, she was killed."

Chloe's eyes nearly bulged out of her skull. "Who?" she demanded. Her voice now had a hard edge to it. She stood stock still, staring right at Warren. If she could see Warren's rising anxiety, she didn't show it.

"Nathan," Max answered, letting him off the hook.

Chloe looked back and forth at Max and Warren. She could see the truth written on their faces. Her hands clenched and unclenched. "Get out."

The couple let out matching expressions of surprise. "But Chloe," Max argued. "We-"

"Don't give me that shit!" Chloe walked aggressively over to the two. The murderous intent caused both to stand in fear. "You come back and dump all this shit on me! What gives you the right? Huh? Maybe I was happier off dead!"

"Chloe!" she said, trying to salvage the situation. However, Chloe pushed both Max and Warren from behind towards the door. "I'm so sor-"

"If you were sorry," Chloe said, almost throwing them out of her room, "You would've saved her."

The door slammed, breaking Max's heart.

* * *

The drive back to Blackwell Acadamy was uneventful. Max was trying to be polite by talking to Joyce. Mostly, she was just trying to keep Joyce talking so she wouldn't have to. Warren sat in the back. He stared out the window as if he were contemplating the immense depth of the universe. _Hell, maybe he is_. She looked at his profile in the mirror. She liked when he had that look of concentration on his face. She would like to imagine that's how she looks when she studies her photography.

She worried about Chloe. She kept hearing the words, "Get out", and "Maybe I was happier dead." No matter what Joyce said, or how often she plastered a smile on her face, those harsh words repeated like a broken record spinning around her head.

It was strange to her how when someone breaks your heart, you repeat the words they say, the actions they take, over and over in your mind. It's as if no matter how many times you replay the words, you know you can find the answer. Something different in the fabric of the dialogue.

Max now kinda missed her ability.

After a few minutes, they arrived at Blackwell Acadamy. After saying their goodbyes, the two trudged on towards the main campus. Max held her hands in her pockets and her eyes were staring at their shadows. She could tell Warren was trying to think of something comforting to say.

"Max," he said quietly. The two sat on the isolated steps of the school and looked out at the sky. "She's just… grieving."

"Do you think she's right?" Max blurted.

"Right about what?"

"About being better off dead!"

She was being hysterical. Some part of her knew this. Yet she couldn't stop herself.

"She's… projecting?" he sounded like he just remembered the word. "She's angry because Rachel's dead, but she's taking it out on you."

Max knew Chloe had a tendency to lash out at the people she wasn't actually angry at, but say she's better off dead?

"Maybe, but what she said back there…"

Warren must've been able to hear the sorrow in her voice. He slung his arm over her shoulder and pulled her in closer. "I'm not good at this stuff," he said, "I think she just feels overwelmed? I don't know. She doesn't know the whole story either. We should maybe give her time to deal with it?"

"Maybe," she replied hesitantly. "I just hope she doesn't do anything rash."

Max scooted closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. Warren continued to look into the sky, as if he were thinking of something more to say. She sneaked a look at him. Now that she was with him, she could see how easy it is to fall in love with him. Even when everything was falling apart, he always put her first. He was always making her smile. He was always patient with her. She had pushed them aside, but she was glad it finally happened.

What shocked her, as she stared at his lips, was the desire he made her feel. It had taken her longer than most would think to find him more than just cute, but since the day she told him her feelings, he was always on her mind. Since they had their make out session, in the back of her mind was a pressing desire to kiss him harder. Her hands itched to run all over him. Frankly, it scared her. Yet it also excited her. It was the absolute worst timing too. She had far more pressing matters at hand than a newly developed sex drive.

She just realized that he was talking to her. "What?" she said. Her voice seemed loud, even to her.

"I was just asking you what your vision was about."

"Oh," she said. She blushed hard but thankfully he still wasn't looking at her. She cleared her throat before talking. "I was brought to Limbo, like I said before, and I saw Rachel."

"Rachel? As in Rachel Amber?"

"The very same. She used her powers to send me to her limbo. She wanted to talk to me."

"What about?"

Max accidentally let out a sigh of contentment before continuing. She felt relaxed. "She wanted to know what my next steps were. I almost forgot Kate."

"Fuck, Kate. Good thing Rachel reminded you, we can't let Kate do anything drastic."

"No, we can't."

"Which begs the question, how are we going to do it?"

"I'm not sure. One thing is for sure, we need to lock that rooftop door. And we need to," Max's argument was interrupted by a long and loud yawn.

Warren looked down at her and smiled. "Looks like Mad Max needs some sleep."

Warren was probably right. Max could barely keep her eyes open. "You're right. If I remember right, Kate is going to ask me for the _October Country_ tomorrow morning. I'll talk to her then. For now, I really need to hit the hay."

"And hit the hay you shall. Hey, before you get up, I wanted to ask you something."

She was sure everything was fine, but she couldn't help but feel a cold anvil of dread drop in her stomach. She kept her voice even however, "What do you mean?"

"I just mean," he could tell he was awkward by the way he did his famous "back of the neck scratch". "We both anticipated that you going back in time would leave me as the Warren of October. Obviously that didn't happen and now, well…"

"And now," Max said, wiggling out of his hold. She returned to a sitting position on the stairs and turned her body to look at him in the eyes. She could almost get lost in them. "You know how I feel. I know how you feel."

"Yeah. I just wanted to know if… if you wanted…?"

"Are you seriously going to ask me out on a date?" she laughed, the nervous tension draining out of her.

"No!" he protested. "I was just wondering if, you, uh, wanted to be my girlfriend?"

Max stared at him in disbelief. She literally could not believe he would ask that. "Warren, of all the changes we have already made in this timeline compared to the others, aside from saving Chloe," she grabbed his hand and squeezed. "Being with you will be my favorite."

Warren looked at their hands and back at her. His face broke into a cheeky smile as he sighed in relief. "Thank God."

"What made you think I would possibly say no?"

"I don't know! Maybe you would think it would change time way to much? Maybe you realized how pitiful it would be for someone as cool as you to date a dork like me?"

She rolled her eyes. "Being a dork is the best thing about you. And I doubt we will all burst into flames if we enter a relationship."

"You never know," Warren said after a shrug. "Life is strange."

"True," said Max after a yawn.

"You really need sleep."

"You really need to stop keeping me up."

"And I will." He stood up and held out his hand to help Max up. She took it and lifted herself up on her feet to face him. "We'll help Kate."

"We have to," Max replied with determination. She spotted people over his left shoulder towards the parking lot. It was Brooke and Juliet. Brooke was carrying her drone with her. "Looks like you're about to have some comany."

Warren turned and spotted the two girls. They returned Max and Warren's gazes curiously. "I guess this is where we part. I'll see you tomorrow, I think?"

"You will," Max replied. Warren turned to walk away but Max's voice stopped him. "You forgot something."

Warren looked puzzled. "What?"

With her right pointer finger and thumb, Max grabbed Warren's chin and pulled him in lightly for a quick, chaste kiss. "That."

"Oh, right," Warren's face lit up into a smile. "That."

"And before you go, be careful of Nathan, okay? Rachel somehow showed me your confrontation with him. I don't want to have to save you too."

"Will do, Maximus. I'll text you if I think of anything for Kate. Get some rest."

"I will," she smiled as he walked away. She watched him exchange banter with Brooke and Juliet. Her curiosity begged her to see what they were saying, but the rest of her body struggled to stay upright. Resigned, she made her way to the girl's dorm. She was somehow able to avoid talking to anyone on the way. Thankfully it seemed since Victoria and Nathan were bothering Chloe and Warren earlier, her and her cronies (at this point) were not outside the dorm.

Max missed the Victoria in the previous timeline. She was much more respectul and sympathetic. Max was not ready to face the old Victoria.

Fortunately for her, she'll be able to avoid her for the time being. She managed go avoid the other girls in the hallway. She did notice an empty Dana's room. Hopefully they were able to resolve the "Zachary incident" without her.

She tried Kate's room, but she wasn't there.

She finally reached the salvation of her room. Thankfully, it had not been trashed by Nathan. She watered Lisa before falling, clothes and all, into bed. Almost instantely she fell into a deep sleep.

She was too far gone to notice the snow starting to fall.

* * *

By some stroke of pure luck, Max had woken up at almost the exact same time to the second as she did the last time she saved Chloe. She felt as if she had gotten the best sleep of her life and she didn't want to get up. But, she knew she had things to take care of.

The first thing she tried to do is call Chloe. It went straight to voicemail twice, and rang once. She left a voicemail and just hoped she wouldn't do anything rash.

She checked her messages. Nothing new, except for a few messages from Warren with some Kate ideas. None of them seemed up to par, so she disagreed with him. They traded some banter before promising to meet up later.

God, she needed a shower. She felt sweaty and gross from sleeping in her day clothes. Her jeans stuck to her legs and her jacket made her feel hot. Plus, she remembered she had taken the shower the last time. Chronologically, a shower made sense.

She decided to grab the same clothes she had grabbed last time and surged her way to the showers. Before she could turn the corner, she warned Alyssa of the toilet paper that should fly for her head. Sure enough, the TP hit the spot where Alyssa was roughly standing.

She accepted the girl's gratitude. Then she heard her name being called across the hallway. Dana had called her over.

"Hey, Dana." Her voice was raw from sleep.

"Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"Are you dating Warren? Brooke and Juliet saw you two kissing yesterday. So, are you two a cute geek couple?"

She didn't expect everyone to know so soon. She didn't exactly answer verbally but her small smile told Dana everything. "That's awesome, Max. I'm happy for you. You know how awful rumors can get in this school."

"You mean the Zachary thing?"

"Yeah, she got pissed because of some texts. She locked me in my room for the longest before Stella and Alyssa convinced her to let me out. She's still pissed at me."

"Mm, I'll go find proof. Let me take a shower real quick, then I'll handle it."

Before she could protest, Max walked away and into the showers. She changed and turned on thr water for her shower. She was barely under the water for half a minute before she heard Victoria, Taylor, and Courtney strut in. As before, they talked about Kate. They made fun of her and mentioned Max before Victoria left a link to Kate's video on the bathroom mirror. The three drama queens soon left.

 _Some things never change,_ Max thought darkly. She finished bathing and changed into her clothes. Max had chosen carefully to wear the same clothes she wore the in the other timeline. She walked over to the bathroom mirror and erased the link.

Now that she knew Victoria had left, she went over to her empty room. She quickly accessed her computer and printed the e-mail exposing her. She brought the sheet to Dana, who thanked her. She invited Max to hang out after classes, but Max declined. She made up an excuse about meeting with Warren later.

After a few more minutes of chit chat, Max returned to her room and grabbed _the October Country._ Although she made sure to move the devilish soda beforehand.

Mentally prepared, Max knocked on Kate's ajar door. A soft "come in" welcomed her into the room. As she expected, Kate's room was as dark as the mood of the girl who inhabited it.

"Hey, Kate," she said slowly. "I brought back the _October Country."_

"Thanks, Max," she replied. Max set the book down and turned to face the girl. She didn't know how, but she had to get through to her. She didn't know exactly what she was going to say, but she would think of something.

"Can I ask you something, Max?" she asked, breaking Max of her thoughts.

"Anything, Kate. I'm here for you." Strange, she could recall Kate saying the exact same thing to her not long ago.

"Have you watched that horrible video?"

"No, I haven't. And I don't want to. I know that whatever happened in it wasn't like you."

"It wasn't me! What that person in that video does, that's something I would _never_ do! I certainly would remember if I did kiss all those people."

"I know, Kate." Max tried putting a hand on the hysterical girl's shoulder. "I believe you."

Kate quite literally deflated. She sighed in relief. "I can't tell you how glad I am to hear that." She smiled. It was a small smile, but it was more than Max remembered seeing all that week.

"What _do_ you remember?" Max gently prodded.

"I remember… I remember I didn't have anything to drink. I was definitely _not_ drunkI had one sip of wine. One sip of wine does not get me drunk. I've had sips of wine at church and I wouldn't do those things."

"Who gave you the wine?"

"Nathan Prescott."

"Do you think he could have drugged you?"

"I… don't know. I know Nathan isn't the most friendly person ever, but, I can't imagine him drugging me…"

"Kate, I promise you, I'm going to get to the bottom of this."

"That's just what I wanted to ask. Should I go to the police?"

Max wanted to groan in frustration. This was the exact same question she was asked before, and no matter which way she sliced it, Kate was not happy with the results. She had to find a middle way.

"Kate, I think we should go to the police. But first, I'm going to find evidence."

"So what you're saying is that I should act, but I shouldn't?" her voice was on the edge of despair.

"Yes and no. Kate, we're going to make things right," she hugged Kate from behind. Kate flinched but she slowly let herself get swallowed up by Max's arms. After a few seconds, Max muttered, "I'm worried about you, Kate."

It took a few seconds before Kate's shaking voice replied, "I am too."

"Hey," Max said. She gently turned Kate so she could look Max in the eyes. "Stay strong, okay? I can see you haven't been yourself lately, and we're going to get passed this. Everything is going to get better."

"I wish I could believe that. All everyone does is laugh at me."

"Not everyone. I don't, Warren doesn't, Stella, doesn't, Alyssa doesn't. Your dad and your sisters don't. We all believe in you and want to see you happy."

"Happiness… it just seems impossible."

"Right now it does, but trust me, Kate. We'll get through this. Together."

"Okay, Max. I believe you. Can you please leave? I have to get ready."

"Of course," Max walked over to the door. Before she could close it, she turned to look at Kate for one last comment. "Oh, and by the way, please don't do anything… rash. I don't like to see one of my best friends like this. I'll see you in Jefferson's, okay?"

After a nod, Max left the room. She just hoped she would be okay.

The rest of the day passed without much issue. Just as she did previously, she "helped" Warren with his science assignment (even if he knew to use lots of potassium). She talked to other people of course. She made more small talk with Dana, caught a death stare from Brooke and answered numerous people that, yes, she was dating Warren.

Somehow, she found her way to photography class. After convincing Victoria to get out of her seat, she settled down for another Jefferson lecture. Ordinarily, she would be absolutely filled with disgust hearing his voice, but she was too distracted watching Kate. She was still way too quiet and that worried Max. After class, Kate went off saying something about a "project". Ignoring Mr. Jefferson wanting to talk to her, she approached Alyssa. "Hey Alyssa. I'm worried about Kate."

"Me too, Max. She seems much more quiet than usual."

"I think we need to try something, I want her to know we are there for her."

"The only one that can make her feel better is herself. But, we can do an intervention type thing. All of her friends showing up."

"To let her know we care about her?"

"Exactly," Alyssa smiled.

"Let's do it. I'll get Dana, Daniel, and Warren. You get Brooke, Juliet, Evan, and Stella. I'll get Kate to come over "for tea", and we'll all be there."

"Sounds like a plan, Max. I'll send a group chat now."

Max nodded and started a group chat of her own.

 **To: Dana Daniel Warren**

 _Hey guys, Kate hasn't been herself, and we're really worried that she might try something she'll regret. Video or not, can you please come to my dorm if you aren't busy in about 10 mintues?_ _I know it's sudden, but Alyssa and I are really worried._

Within seconds, Warren replied.

 **From: Warren**

 _You know I'll be there babe._

 **From: Warren**

 _Sorry about that Max! I just thought I'd try it_

 **To Warren:**

 _Don't worry about it Warren. I kinda liked it :) Just be there as soon as you can okay?_

 **From Dana:**

 _Sure Max, I'll be there_

 **From Daniel:**

 _I will be there._

Well, the hard was over. She just remembered that she had not taken that portrait for Daniel. She'll have to remedy that soon.

She had to get Kate to come to tea. Hopefully she will agree.

As she walked to the dorms, she tried Chloe again. It rang only twice before going to voicemail. At the tone, Max said: "Hey, Chloe. It's Max. Please call me or something. I know I should have told you about Rachel first, but I didn't want this to happen. I can't let you go. I need to know you're okay. Please. I just-" she was alerted by the woman saying the message just ran out of time. Putting her phone in her pocket, she walked down the hall to Kate's room. She knocked quietly on her door.

"Come in."

"Hey, Kate. How are you holding up?"

"A little better. Victoria ignored me because she was worried about Nathan not showing."

A part of Max wanted to question this, but she didn't press. Too many important things to do. "What are you working on?"

"Oh, just a children's book. If you want, you can help me by taking some nice pictures for it." Kate even gave her a small smile which raised Max's spirits. "I would like that."

"Good, I'm glad. I need a new project to keep me busy. Did you find anything on Nathan by the way?"

"That's actually what I came over to talk about. But do you want to discuss it over tea in my dorm?"

"Sure, I was just finished with this drawing."

Max peeked over at the drawing. It was a simple drawing of a group of friends holding hands. But Kate had drawn the picture so elegantly that the horizon looked almost real. "Wowser. Katethis is really good."

"You think so?"

"I know so." Max felt her phone vibrate. Most likely a couple of texts from the group. "You ready to have some of that tea?"

"I suppose," she replied with a small smile. She stood up and followed Max across the hall. Max slowly opened her door to reveal a gaggle of teenagers.

"What is all this?" Kate asked walking in the room.

"You haven't been yourself recently," Evan was the first to supply.

"So Max and Alyssa thought that we should come here and show you that we support you," Juliet helped.

"You don't have to be alone, Kate," Stella cut in. "We're all here to support you."

Kate had burst into tears. "I'm sorry guys. Theae are happy tears. I can't believe so many of you are here."

Max put a hand on Kate's shoulder and squeezed gently. Warren was the second one to react. "Well believe it, Kate." He reached out for a hug and Kate gladly accepted. They embraced briefly before Warren broke it. He manuevered around her to stand beside Max. Suddenly, the other friends began hugging Kate one by one. A true hugging party.

"I can't believe you brought all these people here, Warren muttered.

"Me either. Kate's such an angel though, everyone just wants to see her smile. I hope this helps her."

The two watched as Kate tearfully embraced the rest of them. Max was the final one to embrace Kate. She whispered into her ear, "When everyone leaves Kate, I need to talk to you."

Kate mumbled an okay before the two seperated. Most of the others didn't stay long. Whether it was plans or homework, Kate found herself alone inthe room with Max and Warren.

"Alright, Kate. Everyone has left. I have quite a few things to tell you." They had sat on Max's bed and had started to hold hands. Kate sat on Max's couch. She stared at their hands and then it finally clicked.

"Are you two together?" she said with a hint of excitement in her voice.

They looked at each other with matching smiles. "Yeah," spoke Warren. "Kinda surprising that you didn't hear about it from the whole school."

"No, I was, uh, distracted. When did this happen?"

Now they looked at each other with huge grins. Warren even chuckled. "Yesterday," replied Max.

"But anyway, I'm glad you're focused now. We really need to talk about-"

Max was interrupted by the blaring sound of her phone going off. "Aren't you going to get that?" Kate asked.

Warren elbowed Max who shot to the phone and looked at the caller ID. "It's Chloe!" she proclaimed.

"Put it on speaker," Warren submitted.

Max obliged and suddenly Chloe'a voice filled the room. "Max! I'm so sorry. I'm at the junkyard. Nathan is also here and he-"

Then the line died.


	9. The Sufferer and the Witnesses

After the line died, there was complete silence.

For about two seconds.

Then there was a mad dash. Warren fished his keys out of his pocket and rushed to the door, while Max grabbed her phone off of the bed and raced to the door.

Kate sat for those two seconds, very confused. After the flurry of movement, adrenaline surged through the girl and she found herself racing too. "Who exactly is Chloe?"

"A friend," answered Max. Panic was evident in her voice.

"I'm coming," Kate said with steely determination. After learning about how loved she was by her friends, she wanted to stick with them as much as she could. She wouldn't abandon them.

They raced out of the dorms. Max nearly trucked over Brooke trying to get to the door.

"Watch where you're going, Max," she growled.

"Oh, sorry…" she muttered back. She tried to slide past the girl but her hand on Max's wrist stopped her.

"Max, wait, I actually need to talk to you."

"It'll have to wait," she said. She tried to shove herself out of Brooke's grasp but she kept a tight hold on her wrist, "You're going to the junkyard aren't you?"

Max stopped struggling, "You guys go on ahead."

Warren and Kate looked at each other, then looked back at the two. "I'll go start my car. Come to the parking lot as soon as you can." Warren opened the door for Kate and then they were gone.

"I'll make it as quick as I can," Brooke said with a serious face. "I woke up at dawn to fly the drone and study the strange weather. I saw Nathan walking to the parking lot. He had some weird shit with him in a bag. You know how he talks to himself a lot right? He was saying something about the "junkyard" and "dosage". He even said your name. I don't know what you're in a hurry for, and frankly I dont want to know. Just be careful."

"Uh, thanks Brooke," she replied. Despite herself, she felt her nosiness peak. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Yesterday, after I saw you kissing Warren, I got pissed. It was more jealousy anyway." Brooke kinda gave a half-shrug before continuing in her blunt style. "But I've been friends with Warren ever since we were freshmen. And I have never seen him so happy the way he was yesterday. To be honest, I don't know what he even sees in you. But you do make him happy, that's what counts."

"Uh, thanks?"

"You're welcome. We'll probably never be close friends, Max, or hang out or anything, but as long as you don't break his heart, I want us to be friends."

"I don't intend on ever doing that."

"I'm sure you don't. But even the best hearts do go awry. Just take care of him, okay? For a genius, he is an idiot."

"I will. I promise."

A moment of understanding passed between the two. "Good," Brooke replied.

"Thanks for the help. Sorry, Brooke, but I've gotta go."

"I figured. I do too. I'll see you around, I guess."

Max quickly opened the door and ran out of the dorms. She sprinted to the car, quite aware she wasted valuable time to save Chloe. Still, in the back of her mind she was relieved to hear about Brooke willing to accept her relationship with her best friend. Although she wouldn't admit it to him, she was glad to hear his friend wouldn't try to get in between them.

Still she had more important things to worry about. Like saving Chloe for instance.

Warren had left passenger door open for Max. Seeing this, she practically dived in the seat, "Drive."

Warren complied. He effectively peeled out of the parking lot and zoomed his way to the junkyard. "What did she want to talk to you about?"

She made a split second to only tell him the important details. He didn't need to hear how protective Brooke is. "She saw Nathan leaving this morning. He said something about the junkyard, dosage, and me."

"Do you think he's going to try to take you to the Dark Room?"

"I don't know, Warren. Chloe said he had a gun!" She could hear the frustration in her voice.

"We'll save her, Max."

"I know we will."

A million thoughts ran through each car patron's head during the short drive to the junkyard. Even if Max and Warren knew more of what was going on, none of them were certain what was going to happen. One thing was certain though, they were going to get through it together.

Warren quickly stomped on the break, forcing the car to drift to a stop at the junkyard. Ordinarily, he'd feel pretty badass, but this was not the time for that. The trio quickly climbed out of the car. They had no idea where Nathan and Chloe were, but they knew they needed to be careful. They trudged through the junkyard, ears and eyes perked for any sort of movement. Finally, they heard sounds. It sounded like a struggle, and a dragging noise.

They circled around an abandoned car near the entrance and found a sight. Nathan was dragging a unconsious Chloe by the shoulders. Chloe's beanie had fallen off and her hair was over her eyes. Warren assumed they had stupidly done a full circle around the two.

"Fuck!" Nathan shouted. Before Max, Kate, or Warren could react, Nathan had put Chloe arm and shoulder over his head and lifted her up. He took the gun out of his jacket pocket and pushed the barrel into Chloe's skull.

"Nobody move a fucking muscle! And, uh, put your hands in the air!"

Three pairs of hands shot in the air as if they were shot out of a cannon. Unexpectedly, Kate was the first to speak back. "You don't want to do this."

"You don't know what I want!" he yelled.

Warren's hands itched to punch Nathan right in his square jaw. Sadly, he was powerless. He would not let Chloe get hurt.

"We know what this is about, Nathan."

"You don't know shit!" he laughed mirthlessly at the three of them. "I'll tell you what though: I'll give Gayram Priceless here, in exhange for you, Max. Nobody has to take a bullet to their skull. Deal?"

"No deal."

"No deal?" Nathan asked. His voice twinged on the edge of desperation, fear, and annoyance.

"We know what you're doing Nathan. How you killed Rachel."

"What the fu-"

"We know about the Dark Room. About you working with Mark Jefferson."

"How did yo-"

"And that's why you want Max," Warren spoke up, "you want to take her to the Dark Room. You drugged Chloe before we got here."

Kate wondered what she got herself into.

Nathan looked back in forth from Max to Warren and back again. "I didn't want her to die." Suddenly, Nathan looked… broken. Max recalled the voicemail a Nathan she knew had once left her. It was different circumstances, yes, but still that same tone of voice was heard.

Still, he had the gun pointed at Chloe's temple. His grip on the weapon had slacked, but nevertheless, Chloe was a trigger finger away from certain death.

"If I could take it all back, I would. Okay? Fuck I think about it every day. I have to take you, Max. Or else he'll kill me."

The answer stopped Warren and Kate cold, but Max continued on nonplussed. "Does he know you're here?"

"No, but he made it clear that he wanted you."

This wasn't going to work. Nathan was set on taking Max whether Jefferson knew he was at the junkyard or not. She needed to try a different tactic.

"Look," Max said pointedly. All three sets of arms were starting to get tired. "Nathan, all three of us know about you two and the Dark Room. If you take me, they'll tell everyone and expose you. If you let us go, and Chloe, we will tell no one you were here and no one you were involved with Jefferson."

"How can I believe you?!"

"Because I know how it feels. To be lost, to want to belong," she took a risk taking a step forward, "to want to have a purpose. We want to put away Jefferson, just as much as I'm sure you want to stop dealing with him."

The words seemed to have hit a chink in Nathan's defensive armor. He seemed to consider her words before lowering the gun slightly. "I'll make you a new deal. I'll give you back Price, if no one knows this happened. Especially Victoria."

"De-"

"I'm not finished," he interrupted. "When you do fuck over Jefferson, you don't mention me. I was never involved. Deal?"

"I have some conditions too."

Nathan just stared at her in disbelief.

Before doubt could surface, Max continued, "You need to get help."

Nathan just chuckled humorlessly. "I already have a therapist. And take a shit ton of pills."

"Not what I meant. I want, no, _we_ want you to open up more. Whether that's Victoria or myself, we want you to be more open and stop bottling everything in. And, we want you to stop bullying Kate and Warren. They don't deserve it. On that note, I want you to delete the video of Kate."

Nathan considered her for a few seconds. Max started to get uncomfortable. She habitually bit her lip out of nerves. "You've got a set of balls, Caulfield."

Max audibly breathed a sigh of relief. "So, deal?"

"Deal." He put the gun in his pocket and nodded at Warren. "Take Price Gay… I mean… Graham."

Warren put his hands down. He ignored the still present impulse to deck Prescock and semi-carried Chloe to over by Max and Kate. The girls slowly lowered their arms.

Nathan looked at each of the friends in turn. "This does not leave the junkyard. Understand?" Each person muttered their agreement. "Good. I gave Price a very small dose, she'll be up in either 5 minutes or an hour."

"That's a pretty big ratio," Warren couldn't help but add.

"Bite me, nerd."

Max was about to protest, but Warren held up a hand to stop her. "It's much nicer than he usually is."

"Whatever, I'll see you losers around I guess." Nathan turned and shoved his hands in his jacket pockets. His phone dropped out of his pocket. With a muttered "fuck" he recovered it, stared at it for a few seconds, and then walked over to his truck. He climbed in and after a few seconds he was gone. Chloe was safe.

Kate turned and quickly hugged Max tightly. Max was surprised, but let herself embrace her friend. "Thank you so much," Kate whispered.

"You're welcome, Kate," she whispered back.

After they seperated, Warren and Max hugged. When they too seperated, Warren chipped in, "Max Power, you really are some superhero!"

"It wasn't that great," Max humbly replied. She still felt like she was going to throw up from nerves, but the adrenaline was slowly dying.

"Are you kidding me, Heisenberg? That was amazing!"

"Thanks, Warren. I just need to sit."

"Of course," he replied. He somewhat frantically looked for a place to sit while Kate rubbed circles on Max's back. "You look pale, Max."

"I'm always pale."

"More than usual," she smiled a little.

"Don't fret, Warren. I know a place. It'll make Chloe more comfortable whenever she wakes up too."

While Warren half-carried Chloe, Kate held Max's hand to steady her as she led them to Chloe and Rachel's old hideout. She brushed a pizza box off of a chair and plopped herself on it. While she did this, Kate and Warren made a makeshift cot for Chloe to rest. Max took off her jacket and tossed it to Kate to put over Chloe as a ghetto blanket.

Kate asked Warren to maybe find more chairs. Warren complied. He left the hideout and left Kate and Max alone. "Can you explain what has been happening lately? With Nathan and… well… everything?"

Max considered how much to tell her. She had only meant to tell Kate about the Dark Room, but she supposed Kate was now in far too deep to hide anything from her. "What do you think about time travel?"

Kate raised an eyebrow at the question. "That's an odd question. I'm more practical. You know, Bible Kate and all that, but, I suppose it is possible."

"It's more than possible."

Her eyebrow remained raised. "Oh?"

"What I need to tell you, well, keep an open mind will you?"

"I'll try my best."

Max began her story. After about a minute, Warren joined in. He mostly listened, but when Max ran out of breath, he continued. Kate never said anything, but she listened. She considered. They seemed to be completely serious, although she was secretly waiting for the punchline.

When they got to the part of her suicide attempt, each seemed rather uncomfortable. Hell, she was uncomfortable by the story. She didn't want to hear it, but she was morbidly curious how the story ended. It scared her to hear how she was willing to risk it all then, and how close she was to let it go today. If it weren't for Max talking to her earlier this morning, well, perhaps the same thing would have happened. That nearly crushed her. But hearing how Max had talked her down gave her hope.

Kate honestly wanted to hear more, they had stopped the story. When she asked what happened next, Max shook her head. "Not until Chloe wakes up. She heard about as much as you. She hadn't heard the whole thing and now here we are." She eyed Chloe sleeping peacefully. "God, she's so careless."

"She's your best friend."

"She is," she closed her eyes and rubbed her temples to hopefully stop the onrushing headache. "That's why I keep coming back for her."

Kate couldn't deny how fundamentally sweet that was. She thought about saying something but she was interrupted by the sounds of Chloe waking up. She sat up groggily and checked her surroundings. She saw Kate and looked confused before her eyes settling on Max and Warren. That's when she realized that she was safe. "Max, Warren, Kate. I'm so glad to see you."

"How could you be so fucking stupid Chloe?"

Chloe was struck speechless by the steel in Max's voice. This was by far the angriest she had seen the skinny girl been. "I-"

"After everything I've been through to save your life, you do this shit! I almost lost you Chloe! Again!"

"If you would let me just expla-"

"Explain? You want to explain why you were in the junkyard like this? Go on Chloe, I would _love_ to hear your explaination."

Before she could start, she snuck a glance at Warren. He rose his lips in sympathy and put a hand on Max's shoulder to try to simmer her down. Chloe hoped it worked. She did not want to deal with this shit.

"After you left, I was still pretty pissed."

"Yeah, no shit."

"Can I continue uninterrupted please? Anyway, you left your journal at my house. I looked at it a bit and you said Rachel was buried here. It took a hella long time, but I found her. I balled my fucking eyes out for a while, but then I got the gun and shot some shit to calm down."

"Of course you brought the gun with you. God, Chloe, you could've killed yourself."

" _I know, Max._ Trust me. I listened to you. I made sure to shoot at things that wouldn't ricochet and kill my bony ass. But that's not the point. Nathan had come to the junkyard for whatever reason. Maybe he wanted to fuck Rachel's corpse, I don't know. Anyway, he heard me be all shooty so he pulled his gun out to investigate. He found me and pointed the gun at me. He made me call you and then he told me I had to come with him. Not much I can do with a fucking gun to my face. So I walked with him. Bastard knew I'd try something, so drugged me. Then viola, I'm here."

Max still seemed infuriated, but she seemed to accept Chloe's explaination. Kate, perhaps seeing the present red flags, decided to interrupt. "Chloe, are you feeling alright?"

"Uh, yeah. I guess. Glad to see you can join our merry band of thieves Kate."

"I'm glad to see you're okay. Do you think you're able to go for a walk?"

"Uh, sure." Chloe looked over at Max one more time, and she could see that the girl really needed a chill pill. Perhaps Kate had the right idea. "Lead the way."

After Kate helped Chloe on her feet, the two slowly walked out of the hideout, towards the setting sun.

* * *

"Are you okay?"

Max pulled her legs up to her chest and put her head on her knees. "What do you think?" She felt bad for being sarcastic, but she was so tired of having to drop everything to save Chloe.

"I'm sorry, Max." He rubbed the back of his neck. He knew Kate had made the right call to give them space, but he had no clue how to make her feel better.

"Don't be. It's not your fault."

"Look at it this way, at least she's safe. We seem to be on Nathan's good side now."

"Yeah, she's safe. But for how long? 5 minutes? Tomorrow? How long will it be until her life is in danger? Next chapter?"

"I don't know."

"I don't know either, and it scares me." She could hear her voice break, but she wasn't ashamed.

"Oh, Max." He had awkwardly put her arms around her fetal position state. Although she was still upset, she was thankful for his presence. She didn't want to be totally alone, she just couldn't stand to be near Chloe right now. The sight of her drowned her in worry, anger and anxiety.

A part of her thought just how comfortable she was with Warren touching her. Max secretively an anxious person who wasn't very comfortable with physical contact, but for some reason Warren was different.

Slowly but surely, she felt her rage melt into fatigue. Since she lost her abilities, she seemed to get tired much easier. "Better?" Warren asked. He had to be uncomfortable from the awkward position he was in. But he didn't complain. He probably wouldn't complain even if he held the position for hours.

Max nodded and lowered her legs to sit normally in her chair. Warren grinned at her and she couldn't help but smile back. He always seemed to have that ability. He grabbed a chair he had retrieved and sat it in front of her. He sat in said chair and reached over to hold both of her hands. Max's imagination went wild. She imagined a table between them at some sort of restaurant. A taste of normalcy she was suddenly craving.

"Are you okay now?"

"Yes," she smiled a little. "I just wish we could be normal."

Warren gave her a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"I mean all four of us. No time travel, no Nathan or Jefferson, no tornado or anything else. I just want all of us together for something, I dunno, ordinary. Like movies, or Monopoly. I just want simple.

And I guess I mean _us_ too. We never got to go to the drive-in, did we?"

"No, we really didn't." He cheekily smiled at her and she returned a grin.

"We should, sometime."

"When all this is over, Max, we'll go to the drive-in. And, I'll take you to dinner."

"I would like that." They smiled at each other. Warren ran his thumbs over her knuckles. By God, it felt so good. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Sure, Max."

"I secretly wish you could remember the first time we kissed."

"Me too. But you know what I will remember?"

"What's that?"

"This time we kiss."

"This time-?"

He gently reached in and planted his lips on hers. Her right hand let go off his and reached around his neck. She grabbed a hand full of his soft hair and deepened their kiss. He unintentionally moaned into her mouth. God, how did she go her whole life without this?

After a few seconds, pushed him up. Smiling, she stood up and wrapped her arms over his neck. He placed his hands on her hips. They mutually leaned in to continue their session.

Maybe she might never have that normalcy she craved. Maybe there will be a tornado. Maybe Jefferson is coming for her. But she knew that right now, she was just fine.

* * *

Kate and Chloe had walked around the junkyard in silence for a few moments. Finally, Chloe had been the one to break it. "You know, I've never talked to you one on one like this."

"Why is that?" Kate asked kindly.

"I dunno," the blue-haired girl shrugged. "I've never been one to mingle with religious types."

Kate couldn't help but giggle. "Yeah, I don't see you being the type to go to church every Sunday."

"What can I say? I wear my heart on my sleeve." She bent down to pick up her beanie that had fallen to the ground. She brushed up the grass and "anything else" that was on it before putting it back on her head. Kate tried not to tell her how gross her beanie probably was after being on the ground.

"So how did Bat-Max save me, huh? Did she do some cool kung-fu moves?" she tried not to use profanity around the girl. She didn't know how strict she was. She knew she was cool, more so than some other students at Blackwell, but she didn't want to offend the girl.

"Not exactly. She basically talked him out of taking her. Convinced him not to bully me and Warren. Told him we would take down Jefferson. I still have no idea how he's involved in this, but it's not good apparently."

"That bastard. Nathan, I mean. He needs to pay for what he did to Rachel."

"I think he should too. Apparently it was an accidental overdose. He seemed really sad about it. He was going to visit her grave."

"Doesn't change sh- anything. He still killed her."

"I know, Chloe. For now, we have other things to worry about. You think we should go back to Max and Warren?"

"Yeah. I just hope she isn't pissed at me. Whoa, shit, look at that!"

Chloe pointed up at the sky. Neither girl had ever seen anything like it before. Not only was there a double moon, but one of the moons was stuck in an eclipse with the sun. "What is happening?" Kate whispered.

"I don't know. We better go ask Dr. Who."

Kate wasn't sure if she understood the reference, but she still followed Chloe back to the hideout. There she came across the peculiar sight of Max and Warren kissing. It's a good thing they had talked earlier about their relationship, or else this situation would've been more surprising.

Before she could say anything, Chloe had put a finger to her lips and shushed. It was obvious to both of them that the couple had not noticed that they had entered. Chloe had slyly snuck up behind Max and Warren (it would not have worked if they had their eyes open). She tapped Max on the shoulder. The girl yelped and accidentally pushed Warren to get away from Chloe. Warren promptly fell on his rear end.

"Are we interrupting?" Chloe gave Max a shit-eating grin.

"You asshole," Max complained with a playful punch to Chloe's shoulder. She turned and helped Warren back up to a vertical base. The boy rubbed the point of impact.

"There's something crazy out here," Kate pointed with her thumb to the outside. "A double moon _and_ an eclipse. It's pretty freaky."

Instead of answering, Max and Warren gave each other a pointed look. Max bent down to retrieve her jacket off the ground. "It's accelerating. We can't waste any more time. Sit down, you guys. It only gets weirder."

Finally, all four of them were able to sit down and go through the Max's story. They had somehow managed to take it all in. Thankfully Warren was able to help tell the story, or else Max's voice would be hoarse. She decided to not tell them her struggles mourning for Chloe. She had also spared them the details of Max and Warren confessing their feelings, but they ended the story with Max going back to save Chloe.

"Wow," was all they could say. Chloe, for her credit, was humbled by her "other" self for willing to sacrifice herself for the town. She was humbled by Max's mourning for her. Suddenly, she realized that Max's power was not all fun and games.

"I'm sorry, you had to go through that, Max. That had to be awful."

Max and Warren sat next to one another on the ground, holding hands. "It's in the past. Or future. Or… I don't even know anymore. We have to stop the tornado. Or, at the very least. Get people to evacuate."

They continued to converse, brainstorming ways to stop said tornado. But as they brainstormed, they were unaware of a new presence in the junkyard. Someone who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

* * *

 **Hey all, my goal (although I probably won't get it) is to finish the story sometime between Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. Master Assassin Ezio has gifted me with a new story idea, so right after this story ends, I will start the new one.**

 **That being said, I'm not going to rush this story. It will have a (hopefully) satisfying conclusion. Still, don't be shy. Tell me what you think! It really speeds up the writing process.**


	10. Last Forever: Part 1

"I'm not sure there's any other solution besides hiding out and outlasting the tornado."

Max considered Kate's conclusion. Truthfully, Max had no idea how devastating the storm would be. She had seen only a glimpse of its destructive powers, but even that glimpse scared the crap out of her.

Warren spoke up. "I suppose that's our best option. If the storm really is accelerating like I hypothesize, then we have almost no time to get people to evacuate. The best thing we can hope for is to convince people to hide out."

"Yeah," Chloe spoke up. "But where the hell are we going to find shelter from a massive tornado?"

The obvious answer was, of course, the Dark Room. It was heavily solidified and could possibly withstand the storm, but there were too many awful memories for Max to go there. She could tell with one look that her friends were considering it, but none of them wanted to say it out loud.

"I know!" Kate exclaimed. "One of the churches I used to go to was built in the 1950s! There is a bunker underneath that was meant to outlast nuclear blasts. I'm sure it will survive the storm."

The four friends considered the solution. As if on que, all four nodded. Chloe spoke up, "I never thought religion would save my ass, but I'll hand you this point, God."

Kate wasn't sure how to take this sentiment, so she took it as a joke. Chloe shot her a playful smile, which Kate returned.

"How many can the bunker fit, Kate?" Warren, always asking the obvious questions. Useful, but obvious.

"Max? About 12-15 people."

"Interesting, I'm sure we can have others hunker down with us while the storm passes."

"There's one thing we're forgetting," Max couldn't help but outburst. The other three stared at her in confusion. Max almost wanted to scoff at their forgetfulness. "What are we going to do anout Jefferson?"

"Good thinking, Bat-Max," Chloe nodded. "We need to teach that fucker a lesson."

"I'm not sure that's a great idea, guys," Warren spoke up sheepishly.

"Why the fuck not?" Chloe angrily retorted.

"We're at a Catch-22. I suspect that the tornado is coming _tomorrow._ If we go after Jefferson, that will leave us no time to prepare for the storm. If we spend all our time preparing for the storm, well, who knows with him."

"You're saying that we shouldn't go after that ass-clown because you _guess_ the tornado is coming tomorrow?" Chloe's fury could easily be heard across the junkyard.

Kate tried her best to break the tension. "As much as I want revenge, Warren's right. It took you two at least two days to get Jefferson. And even then, you died a good 2 or 3 times. Max was captured multiple times too. And the tornado still almost killed all of us."

"Max?" she turned to Max. Hopefully if she had Max backing her up, Chloe could convince Warren and Kate to see her way.

"As much as I hate this, Warren's right, Chloe. Our first responsibility is to save our loved ones. Jefferson will pay, but he is secondary. And don't even think about doing anything on your own, Chloe. Last time you did that, you were almost captured and killed by Nathan Prescott."

Just like that, Chloe's rage was all but snuffed out. "I hate it when your boyfriend is right."

"Hey! I'm right here you know."

Max gently patted his hand. "Relax, baby. She is right though, you do get a little hard to deal with when you're right."

As Warren tried to object, Chloe fake gagged and wretched. She addressed Kate with a sigh, "Disgusting, they're in the 'affectionate nickname' phase."

Kate smiled angelically. "I think it's cute."

The couple felt mutually embarrassed but they shrugged it off. Max stood up and let go of Warren's hand. She stretched and felt several of her joints pop. Jeez that felt good. "Alright, first stop is Frank's. I still have to fulfill a promise."

"No," Chloe objected. "If you go, I'm not going."

"Why not?"

"How am I going to look at that bastard, knowing that Rachel cheated on me with him?"

"Chloe, Frank didn't know you two were together. Just like you didn't know she was with him. He deserves to know just as much as you that she's gone. Rachel wasn't perfect, but she fell for two people at once. I'm sorry, Chloe, but I made a promise."

Chloe considered her argument for a minute. Finally, she changed her mind. In a quiet voice she spoke out. "Fine. But I want to tell him."

"No, Chloe. I-"

"I'm not going to start a fight, Max," she said. An undisguised somber tone surprised the group. "I know what it's like to fall for two different people. Let me do this."

Warren awkwardly shuffled his feet while Kate and Max looked at the girl confused. "Uh, sure. Yeah, you can do it."

"Thanks, Max."

The others stood and stretched just like Max. Night had just begun to fall, and the gang was ready to leave.

"What are we going to do about classes?" Max thought out loud.

"Don't you remember? Because of the Vortex Party has to set up for Thursday, classes are cancelled tomorrow." Warren answered.

"Be quiet, guys," Chloe muttered. She had a sudden seriousness to her voice. "Do you hear something?"

Suddenly, their ears were raped with the booming sound of a gun. A flash of blood departed from Chloe's cheek. As they all tried to recover, a man stepped out from the shadows. Mark Jefferson had made his appearence known. He was wearing a casual white shirt under a grey coat. Blue jeans covered his legs and boots on his feet.

"Strange the things you find in the junkyard."

The others were so shocked by his appearence they couldn't say anything. Well, except Chloe. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"The simple answer, Ms. Price, is our friend, Max. I knew Nathan was here earlier. After his fucking mistake with Rachel, I put a tracker on his phone. I know where he is at all times. Now, I heard you four. I don't know how you found out about my art, but knowledge comes at a Price."

"You're not killing Chloe!" Max shouted.

Jefferson turned to her with cold eyes. "You're correct Max, I'm not going to kill her."

The four couldn't help but give the teacher confused looks.

"When Chloe dies, no one will care. Just another depressed dilenquent with far too much to handle. You three, on the other hand, will be missed. Sorry sweet Kate, but I already had a photo op with you. Max, you have the gift." He points the gun at Max and roughly grabs her by the wrist.

At this point, Max truly understood how it felt to be powerless. She could do nothing but watch the events unfold. She wished more than anything she could still rewind. But the events moved on, like a horror movie slowly unraveling before her eyes. Eyes that were filled with moisture. Tears slowly fell down her cheeks. She turned her eyes to look away from her friends, especially Warren. She hated seeing them in danger like this. Hated herself for not being able to stop this.

"This is what is going to happen. Chloe, enraged that her lover Rachel is dead, turned on her new friends." He dragged Max over to stand behind Chloe. "Then, turns the gun on herself. Max, in her despair, goes off and kills herself. Ironically, right next to the body that started it all. Of course, you'll die after the storm, but we'll be safe and sound during, won't we Max?"

The sweet tone in his voice made Max want to projectile vomit all over his perfect clothes. She didn't know he was capable of such joy. "I think we'll start with your new boyfriend, huh, Max? I can't wait to photograph you in your pure state. I can imagine it: the grief, the despair, the hopelessness, all drawn like a van Gough portrait across your face. I can see just a glimpse of it now." He licked his lips in anticipation. The act sent a shudder down Max's spine.

"Are you ready, Price?"

He let go of Max and roughly grabbed Chloe's hand. "I brought some insurance." He pulled a second pistol out of his jacket pocket and directed the barrel at Chloe's blue haired head. He opened her palm and gave her the first gun. "If you try anything, I will put the bullet in you myself. Then, of course, I would have no other choice but to hurt Max. Nothing awful, just enough to remind her that you caused the pain. It doesn't have to be like that. Point the gun at his head, and shoot him.

Chloe looked at Warren with wide eyes. He returned the glance. He was practically shaking with fear. His eyes moved over to look at Max, presumebly for the last time. Max forced herself to look at him. The image breaking her heart in two.

"Max… I-"

"Run Warren!" she shouted.

 _Oof._ The swift knee to the gut drove the breath right out of her lungs. She collapsed, stomach first, to the ground in pain as she heard the distant shouts of her loved ones. Her ears rang with the pain.

"That's just a warning." Jefferson's calm voiced creeped out. "Next time, it won't be a knee.

I'm tired of waiting, kill him!"

* * *

Jefferson drove the barrel further into the back of Chloe's skull. A tear rolled down Chloe's cheek after she bit down hard on her tongue. The last thing she needed to do was make a cutting remark. She tasted blood. "I'm sorry," she whispered to Warren. She aimed, closed her eyes, and prepared to pull the trigger.

Max's tears flowed freely. She couldn't watch. What was possibly the love of her life was going to die right in front of her, and she was powerless to stop it.

 _Bang!_

Max let out a cry. Through the ringing of her ears, she felt rather than heard a _thump_ right next to her. Which didn't make sense. Warren wasn't that close to her.

She looked up, and was stunned to find that Jefferson was lying belly first on the ground. A pool of blood was slowly spreading from his lower back. "How?"

She rolled over to her back, still grimacing in pain, and saw Nathan Prescott slowly walk towards them.

* * *

Chloe heard a bang, but it wasn't from her gun. She wasn't dead either. What the fuck just happened?

She never wanted to shoot Warren. He was kind of a dork, but he had become a great friend in the short time she really knew him. He also really made Max happy. She knew his death would destroy her, perhaps more than her own. Yeah, maybe Max didn't get specific about her mourning period. But Chloe was perceptive enough to sense how devastating her death was. It was a sobering thought.

She knew what Jefferson was forcing her to do would break Max. Though what could she do? The fucker was still going to kill all three of them anyway. And he was still going to take Max. She knew that he was telling the absolute truth when he said he was going to hurt her if Chloe didn't comply to his wishes. With one look in Warren's eyes, she could see he understood. He was afraid, she was too. He was also brave, Chloe was not. When she whispered an apology, she truly meant it. He had saved Max, in a way, now she had to kill him.

Then, when she heard the gunshot, she flinched. Thank god her finger wasn't actually on the trigger, or else she knew she would've pulled it. Somehow she maintained the hold on the gun, but silently thanked whatever God out there that she was alive.

She opened her eyes to find Warren was also still alive. She was thankful for that, but she also noticed that he was staring behind her, a strange look on his face.

She turned and spotted the shocking sight of Nathan Prescott. At first she was filled with rage, but when she saw his gun she stopped. She looked at the gun, then to the blood pooling from Jefferson's back, back to the gun. Then the pieces of the puzzle fit into place perfectly. "You saved us?!"

Nathan was broken out of his thoughts by Chloe's voice. "Yeah, uh, you're welcome."

He seemed shocked that he actually shot Jefferson. It was as if a man just defeated his demon, but he doesn't know what the next step will be. Chloe's interruption brought him back to reality.

"How did you do it?" Kate asked.

"When I dropped my phone earlier, I saw something grey pop out of my phone. I shoved it in my pocket and left as quick as I could cause you fuckers creep me the fuck out. I went back to my dorm and messed around with it. Found out Jeffershit put a fucking tracker on me. I knew he was coming here, and I knew he wanted you Max and he was going to kill the rest of you. I don't want your blood on my hands. Plus, I wanted to shoot this this fucker."

"You're not going to kill us then?"

"No, why the fuck would I do that?"

"Good." Before she could second guess herself, she took the gun already in her hands and shot Jefferson in the head. The pathetic little moaning noises Jefferson was making ceased. His breathing stopped. He was dead.

Chloe's breathing hitched and a sob escaped her throat. The gun slipped from her hands and she leaned against the nearest wall. She slumped to the ground in shock.

The other four just stared at Chloe in shock. No one would've thought that Chloe would go so far. She watched Max stand up and go over to Warren. They hugged each other tightly, tears flowing freely from their eyes.

Chloe just watched them. She felt completely devoid of emotion watching them. Deep down, she was happy to see the two of them still alive, but she just took a human life. How disgusting was she?

"Chloe, are you okay?"

Kate of all people touched her shoulder. Her soothing voice brought Chloe back to reality. "Kate? No, I just- I just…"

"I know, Chloe. You're alright." She knelt down and looked Chloe in the eyes. "You didn't do anything wrong. Warren is still alive. We all are. You actually did the humane thing. He didn't deserve it, but we could have just left him for the storm to kill him. Left him to die, but you did the right thing."

"Isn't it against your religion to kill people though?"

Kate smiled then grimaced. "I'm not even sure if he is human. You really killed a monster."

The words made Chloe feel better. She thanked the girl and stood up slowly. She found Max staring at her. The brunette quickly closed the gap and wrapped her arms around Chloe. Chloe was shocked by the intensity of Max's hug but returned it nonetheless.

"I thought I was going to lose you, Chloe."

She could feel tears prick the corners of her eyes. "I thought was going to lose you too."

After several more minutes of hugging each other, they finally found they had to deal with Nathan, who looked very unsure of himself. There was an awkward silence before Max approached Nathan. "Thank you for coming back, Nathan."

"Don't mention it."

"I have to. You saved all of our lives single-handedly. Who knows what Jefferson would've done to me. You didn't have to come back, but you did."

"Yeah, I guess I did."

Nathan looked at each of them in turn before nodding to himself. "Okay." He started to walk away.

"Wait," Max called. Nathan stopped and turned. His eyebrow raised curiously. "What?"

"There's a storm brewing. Promise me you will get away or find somewhere safe. Victoria too."

"You're so fucking weird, Max Caulfield. But with this shit going down, and the weather, I'm willing to believe anything. Yeah, I promise to leave this loser town. I'll take her too."

Max sighed with relief as they watched their unlikely savior walk away. "What now?" Warren asked. He slowly wrapped his arms around Max's waist. It seemed like he was trying to comfort himself as well as her.

"As much as I want this day to end, Chloe still has a promise to fulfill."

With those words, the foursome decided it was probably best to leave the junkyard behind. Even if she complained slightly, Chloe still climbed in Warren's car and they rode to Frank's.

* * *

Frank was slouched on his couch, a blunt on his mouth and smoke wafting throughout the RV. Just because he produced and marketed doesn't mean he can't enjoy his product. It had been a stressful couple of days. With the weird weather and all the people acting bat-shit crazy, Frank really needed the downtime. He had gotten used to wearing Rachel's bracelet. He would never let it show, but he missed her. Her sudden disappearence had rocked him to the core.

He was bitter now. He was quicker to anger. He was unable to see how it had gone so well to so awful so fast. One point in time he was with the most gorgoeus woman he had known, now she was gone. It hardly made sense.

Then, a knock intruded on his high. He got up and grumbled darkly. Who the hell would knock so late?

He took one last puff and opened the door to find the most ragtag group of teenagers he had ever seen. They all looked tired. Their eyes were all red and puffy as if they too had gotten high, or were crying. Frank hoped from a business perspective that it was the latter. The only one he could imagine actually being high was Chloe, even if he didn't know the other two girls.

He pointed his next words specifically at Chloe. "I don't have any more. You'll have to wait until tomorrow."

"That isn't what I'm here for."

Frank raised his eyebrow skeptically. "It's what you're _always_ here for."

"Not this time. We need to talk."

Frank's demenor became a little more paranoid. "You didn't get busted, did you?"

"Nothing like that. This is about Rachel."

That drew Frank's attention. He closed the door behind him. He adressed Chloe but fought to keep his voice even. "What about her?"

"We found her."

Frank's eyes desperately scanned over the brunette girl next to her, then to the blonde behind her. The brunette might bear slight resemblance to Rachel but there was no way they were the same person. "If you found her, where is she?"

Chloe sighed in defeat. She didn't like doing this, but it needed to be done. "She's gone, Frank. She's dead."

Frank heard the news, but it didn't sink in until she looked at the others. She didn't know some of the others, she barely knew the kid she had with her yesterday, but to him the tear streaks on their faces made sense. The red tinged eyes. They weren't high, they were crying. It hit him then, the truth in her words. "No." He shook his head vigorously and ripped the bracelet off his wrist. "No, no, no, no, NO!"

"My Rachel! My beautiful Rachel."

Distantly, Frank heard Chloe mutter something to her friends. With one last look at him, her friends walked off to God knows where.

Frank raised his hands to his eyes and weeped into them. He pressed his back against the wall of his RV and slumped to a sitting position. Chloe awkwardly walked over to him and rubbed his back with her hand. She was at a loss for words to comfort him. In fact, she had never been in this position.

"Tell me how," Frank demanded in between sobs.

"Overdose. Took something she shouldn't have."

"What did she take?"

"I'm not sure. Some friend in her modeling gig gave her something and she didn't know how much to take. Accidental. They found her phone. The last person she called was me, so they told me first. They're calling the cops soon."

"Fuck!" he shouted. "How could this have happened?"

"I don't know, Frank." She took a risk by putting her arm over his shoulders. It was something she learned watching Warren comfort Max. Fortunately, Frank seemed to have welcomed the gesture. "I fucking loved her, Price."

"I did too."

"And now, she's just gone. What the fuck do I do now?"

 _Not fall in love with my girlfriends, hopefully,_ she thought.

"I was thinking the same thing, Frank. Something someone taught me is that life goes on. And sometimes, in the darkest moments, someone walks into your life and changes it for the better. That's what Rachel did for me. Now some other people are doing it for me again. I'm not saying you should forget her, I don't think we ever will, but she lived a full life, didn't she?"

"Maybe." He had stopped crying. He still sat there, morose. He dug into his pocket and drug out a cigarette and a lighter. He offered Chloe one but she waved a hand. "She died much too young. I never had the chance to say goodbye."

"Goodbyes are overrated. But, the last time I saw her, she told me something."

"What did she say?"

"She said she loved you."

Frank took this well, she assumed. He smiled and gazed into the sky. She was glad he calmed down. All his crying gave her anxiety. She removed her arm from around his shoulders and looked at the double moon in the sky.

"How long did you know we were together?"

"Not long. Sometimes I feel like I learned the truth just hours ago."

"How did you find out? We tried keeping it a secret."

"She told me."

"Yeah, you two were always close."

"We were."

"What happened to your cheek?"

She shrugged, "Some asshole hit on one of my friends. Taught him a lesson."

"Good girl."

Listen, that scary shit in the sky? That's the forewarning to a coming storm. It's going to be massive. It'll blow this RV to Kingdom Come."

"What do you want me to do about it?" he said in between puffs. And coughs.

"I want you to hide out with us. That blonde girl, Kate, knows about an old bomb shelter. We're taking cover while the storm blows over."

"Why would I want to spend hours trapped in a dark room with a bunch of 18 year olds?"

"To be fair, I'm pretty sure Warren is only 16."

"That's even worse!"

The two chuckled and gazed at the sky for a few moments. "How many does this bunker fit?"

"12-15. I asked the others to go get supplies while I talked to you."

"Hmpf," was all the reply she got.

"So?"

"I'll think about it," Frank threw his cigarette on the ground and snuffed it out with his boot. "Right now, Price, I just want to be left alone."

"Understood."

Frank got up slowly. He shook his head at the strangeness of the day. He bent and picked up the thrown bracelet and pocket it. He opened the door to walk in but was stopped by the sound of Chloe's voice. "Yo, Frank" he turned to a full view of Chloe's shit eating grin. "You sure you don't have any?"

* * *

After they left Chloe at Frank's, they dropped Kate off at the church. She assured them that no one uses the church on weekdays before they sped off. They had gotten supplies at each of their dorms, as well as Warren's mini fridge. After they dropped off that stuff, Chloe had still not called Max. So, Warren went off on his own to talk to his parents while Kate and Max set up the bunker. It took some doing, but Warren convinced his father and his step-mother to skip town with the oncoming storm approaching. He also managed to convince them to let him stay in Arcadia Bay with his friends. (They still teased him about Max, but Warren felt it wasn't the time to tell them.)

Kate had not talked to her parents about the storm, but she did call them and her sisters. She told them she loved them and asked how they were doing. They thankfully did not live in Arcadia Bay, so they had no knowledge of the events.

After the trio had just started to get worried, Chloe had finally called, asking to be picked up. The trio had picked her up soon after. They asked her multiple times how it went, but she didn't give any other answer than "fine". The only other words that escaped her mouth was to get the others to promise her that they would go with her to talk to Joyce and David. They promised.

Sooner or later, they learned to drop it. They rode the rest of the way in silence before stopping at the bunker. Max, Kate and Chloe went down to the bunker while Warren "payed respect to his car". The thought was that the foursome would stay the night at the bunker. They had all gone through so much together tonight, they didn't want to part ways.

When Warren finally came down after saying goodbye to his car, they had all tried settling in. There were two mattresses ("They probably didn't guess multiple people would sleep in this room" -Chloe), so Max and Warren shared one while Chloe and Kate shared the other. The only problem is, they had all forgotten the all important blankets. Kate apologized over and over. She gave them all windbreakers that were stored in a space in the corner of the bunker, but it wasn't enough for them all to sleep.

Chloe, of course, complained quite loudly about the cold. Kate promised she could get more blankets. Warren eventually gave up the keys to his ride to allow Kate to grab some thermal blankets. As Kate left, Warren and Chloe stayed up to wait for her.

Max decided she couldn't wait any longer, with her and Warren's hands intertwined, her eyelids closed and she drifted off into sleep.

* * *

 **This is part 1 of 2 of the epilogue of this story. It's been a long ride, and I hope you enjoyed and will love the upcoming final chapter.**


	11. Last Forever: Part 2

Chloe and Warren made some small talk while they waited on Kate. Chloe had just got done talking about her new NPDAP. Or, the No PDA Policy when Kate finally arrived. She tossed Warren a blanket to put on Max, and gave one to Chloe. She explained that she had talked to the other kids. She described the storm and warned the others to get away from Arcadia Bay. Fortunately, some of them listened. Brooke, Juliet, Daniel, even Ms. Grant promised to leave town. Some others unfortunately didn't listen. Luke, Evan, Taylor and Courtney did not heed her advice. Hopefully, they would be safe. Kate had done the best she could do. They just had to wait and see.

Warren and Chloe thanked her for the blankets. They also insisted on Kate going to sleep. The poor girl seemed like she swaying on her feet. Kate reluctantly agreed. She layed down next to Chloe. Chloe covered her up and she fell asleep almost instantly.

Kate grabbed the end of the blanket and snuggled up to it beside Chloe. She regarded the blonde before talking, "You know Kate was the first to comfort me after the whole Jefferson thing."

"I saw. I'm sorry I didn't say anything. I was too busy hugging Max and being glad I was alive."

"It's fine. I just felt like saying it. It was really sweet."

"She is sweet. She didn't deserve what was happening to her."

"She really didn't." She brushed some hair out of Kate's mouth. Better. "Well, Graham Cracker, I'm going to try to catch some zs. You should too."

"Sounds like a plan. Night, Chloe."

"Night, Big Brain."

Chloe lay on her back and slowly drifted off to sleep. Warren, in the meantime, turned to Max. He grabbed some blanket over himself and snuggled next to Max. He too drifted off.

Warren woke up feeling Max shift next to him. He opened his eyes groggily, "Max?" He hated how stuffy his voice sounded from sleep.

She didn't listen to him. She seemed like she was sleep walking the way she was moving. He dealt enough with it with his dad.

"Max?" Chloe asked. Her voice wasn't thick with sleep. She had been up for a while.

Max mumbled something about, "Needing to find something". Still laying on the mattress, Warren turned his body to face Chloe. "You think this is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"If this is the vision she had?"

"Doubt it. Maybe with her powers gone she took up sleep walking. Besides, I don't hear the tornado. Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"You wanna bet on it? Obviously we should follow her so she doesn't hurt herself. I bet ten bucks she's just sleep walking."

Max didn't remember much of her vision, this is true. It was more likely than not that this could be her vision. Hell, what did he have to lose? If they survived the storm, he'll be ten dollars richer. "Sure."

Chloe smiled and enthusiastically spit in her hand and extended it. "Shake on it."

"With your spit on your hand? Gross."

"Oh come on," she said, sarcastically rolling her eyes. "You'll swap spit with Max but not with me?"

Warren just raised an eyebrow at her.

She looked at her hand and reconsidered. "Yeah, you're right." She wiped her moist palm on her ragged jeans. "We'll go with the spoken agreement."

"Works for me." The two stood up. "So why were you up?"

"Nightmares. Nasty shit."

"Do you-"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Right." The two opened the floor hatch in the church and walked past the pews. "She's upstairs."

"Probably is."

"You go first. If she's having her vision it's an alternate timeline Max. She'll want to see you."

"Wow, I feel flattered."

"I think you mean, _Wowser."_

"Shut the fuck up," she chuckled and punched his arm lightly. "You have a point though. I'm going up."

While she went up, Warren checked his phone. He had no service, but he could see that it was early morning. In fact, now that it was silent he could hear the faint sound of wind howling. Could the storm be here already?

The thought convinced him that, yes, she probably was about to have the vision. He raced down the bunker to retrieve his "bomb supplies". He made it just time to hear Chloe scream for his assistance. Grinning like he just won the lottery, he walked up the steps to a find his friend. She had her arms crossed and a scowl on her face.

"Don't you dare."

"Awe," he replied sarcastically. "I wasn't going to say, 'I told you so', not at all."

Chloe shot him a death glare. "You damn dirty hominidae." Warren was vaguely impressed she knew the scientific name for ape.

"You owe me ten bucks." He enjoyed ribbing Chloe.

"CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Max shouted. She was obviously very confused. It was plain on her cute face.

"Right," Warren said. Enough fooling around, the little Max told them about the vision was that she saw the tornado. "Agent Hella, would you like to do the honors?"

She mockingly saluted him. As if she would do anything else. "Will do, Monkey Man."

He rolled his eyes and scooted two chairs over to them. Then, he went to work on the wall. He joked around a little bit with them before placing his bomb on the wall.

After Chloe called his cue, he raced over to the girls. Despite Chloe's wishes against PDA, he couldn't help but to put his arms over them and kiss Max on the head. "Bombs away!"

The bomb exploded. The howling winds of the tornado were much more evident. Max gasped in surprised and muttered to herself. "We can't explain much!" he shouted over the wind. "Just listen to what Chloe said and everything will be alright."

Max seemed to have wanted to argue, but she couldn't get a word out before she passed out again. After they made sure that she wasn't in danger of hitting her head or anything, Warren said, "So about that ten bucks…"

"That's _if_ we survive, Warren."

"So you don't have it?" he replied with an exaggerated frown.

"Not on me! If you want it soon I could ask…" Chloe's eyes widened in realization. "Shit!"

Warren was confused. "What?"

"My mom! Her and David are trapped! We forgot to warn them!"

"Fuck!" They had forgotten her parents. Although, it seemed that their outburst had woken Max.

"What's going on?" she asked as Chloe raced over to the stairs.

"Come on, Max." He could tell Max was very confused by the events, but when she looked behind him and saw the tornado, it dawned on her.

"It's here? What happened?"

"The other Max had a vision. Come one, we have to go get Joyce and David!"

Warren grabbed her hand. Max was still a little slow waking up, but she was alert enough to know that they needed to hurry. Chloe was waking for them down the stairs, she had already gotten Warren's keys from Kate. "We don't have time to wake up Kate, we're getting in your car. I'm driving, we'll be faster that way."

"Suit yourself."

They ran out to Warren's car. He guided Max into the backseat and jumped in the other side. Chloe launched herself into the driver's seat, started the car and sped off down the road. She sped down the roads and around corners. Thankfully, law enforcement was busy trying to get people to leave town or seek shelter. No one was worried about going _in_ to town, they wanted to get _out._

"Fuck!" Chloe yelled as she swerved to avoid a downed tree.

The rest of the ride went fine. Chloe quickly parked on the side of the road. She got out and walked briskly to the door. Warren and Max unbuckled their seatbelts and ran out to join Chloe. Each were grateful for the windbreakers fighting the wind and the rain.

Chloe ran inside but couldn't find them. She heard a muffled noise in the garage and opened the door to find her mother and her step-father. At first they reacted harshly, David pushing Joyce behind him prepared to fight off a would be attacker. Instead, when they saw it was Chloe, Joyce immediately called out to her and tackled her with a motherly hug. When she noticed Max and Warren trailing behind her, she gave them matching hugs.

"Where were you all last night, young lady?"

David stood next to his canned good, unamused. It was clear to see to the trio that he had been stockpiling all their cans as they waited for the storm.

"That's actually what we came to talk to you about. One of our friends told us about a bunker underneath a church, we're hiding out there while the storm blows over. I-no- _we_ need you two to come with us."

David seemed to consider it, "What friend told you about this?"

"Does it matter?" she replied. Chloe couldn't help but roll her eyes at David's stubborn mentality.

"It doesn't," Joyce cut in. "If Chloe knows a place where we can be safe, we need to take it. Besides, what friend of Chloe's goes to a church?"

Although this was a valid point, Chloe still felt the need to stand up for her. "Her name is Kate by the way. Oh, in addition, stop surveying her. Not only is it creepy, but she's innocent."

"How did you-"

"Doesn't matter. I know you're trying your best, David, but sometimes your best fucking sucks."

"Well, I thin-"

"David, listen to me. For once. I know you're trying, and I know I've been fucking ungrateful. But I'm glad you make Mom happy, even if your mustache creeps me out."

David subconsciously touched his mustache. But he could tell Chloe is being sincere. "I didn't know that's how you felt. I do care about you, Chloe. I know my tactics haven't been the best."

"Believe me, I know. Now can we go before we all die?"

"Yeah," Joyce said. "We'll follow you in our car."

Chloe nodded and turned on her heel. She walked over to the car. Max and Warren joined her. "That was really cool of you, Chlo."

Chloe shrugged. "It was nothing. Thought I'd told him that I know he cares before we all possibly die."

"I'm glad you're taking the optimistic approach."

Chloe laughed. "With as many times as you had to save me, Max? I'm not taking chances."

They drove back to the church, still in kind of a hurry. Kate had peaked outside and she smiled in relief when she saw all six of them arrive. "I couldn't find any of you guys. I got worried. But I'm glad you found your parents."

"Me too," Chloe replied as Joyce and David went down the church bunker. "There's on person we're forgetting though. Is Frank here?"

"No, he hasn't shown up."

"Shit."

Chloe dug out her phone, but she was virtually powerless. She didn't have any service or barely any battery. She supposed she could go out and look for him, but in this storm? It wasn't a good idea.

She told them she was going to waiting on him outside, and they decided to wait with her. After a few minutes, the others started to get sadly skeptical. It was getting very dangerous out here.

"Maybe he isn't coming," Max muttered.

"He's coming," Chloe whispered. "I know he is."

About a minute later, Frank's RV came screaming down the road. Then, unexpectedly, like a vase dropping from a table, a tree fell in Frank's path, causing him to swerve out of the way. His RV brutally rolled once, twice, before settling to a smoky stop in a ditch. "Frank!" Max and Chloe shouted before running to help.

The RV had settled on its side. The girls had to climb up and pry open the door on top of the downed vehicle. Warren and Kate had smartly thought to grab David to help. He quickly scrambled to his car and scavenged a crowbar from his trunk. He ran over to the RV and gave Chloe the item. She used it to try to pry the door open, and eventually succeeded.

"Frank!" she tried to shout over the storm. The rain smacked them all hard in face. Chloe crawled inward and witnessed Pompidou's pathetic whining and a passed out Frank. Shrapnel from the RV had embedded itself into his thigh. He must have passed out from the pain. It was a gruesome injury, but it looked as though he would survive. Although, it would be hard to drag an unconcious Frank out of the RV from the ajar door.

"Here" she handed Max the crowbar. "Give this to David and have him take out the windshield. David, Warren and I will have to drag him out."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Do you have a better one?"

Max gave Chloe a worried look before sighing in defeat. She grabbed the crowbar to give to David.

"Hold on, Frank." He had saved her life once, a long time ago. As she took Pompidou in her arms, (who seemed to be uninjured, thank God), she knew she was going to repay the favor.

While she rescued the dog, David had busted out the windshield. Chloe jumped down and handed the dog off to Max. With a concerned glance at Frank, she walked off to drop the dog off to Kate and Joyce.

Chloe, David and Warren slowly removed Frank from the RV. David warned them multiple times to not touch the injury. Gingerly, the trio helped carry Frank, semi-bridal style, to the bunker. Eventually, they had set Frank down on a bed. His breathing was haggard, but he seemed no worse for the wear.

"Is he going to be okay?" Warren asked.

"I thankfully took medical classes in the military," David reassured. He had Kate bring him a first-aid kit from the church's office. "I will be able to handle this. I'm going to need space though. Joyce, stay with me. I might need your help." The man rolled up his sleeves.

"Let's go," Max said. She grabbed Chloe by the forearm and dragged her upstairs. Suddenly the four of them stood just outside the church, watching the storm coming.

"I can't lose him too. Not Frank."

"And you won't. David knows what he's doing," Max answered.

Chloe just sighed.

The truth is, none of them knew if he would be okay. Like Chloe implied, none of them knew if they would survive the storm. But they did know one thing.

As Max took Warren's hand in her left, and Chloe's hand in her right, as Chloe took Kate's hand in her right, they all smiled as one. They did know one thing.

No matter what happened next, they had each other.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm hope you enjoyed this story just as much (or more) that I enjoyed writing it! That other story I have plans for is set to debut on Christmas Eve. Not saying set your calendars, but if you're bored, you know how to find it!**

 **I won't say much, but I can say that the story will be set in an AU Life is Strange universe where there is no powers, no tornado, Rachel and Chloe are still alive (therefore, a minor appearence). Also, Jefferson was never a psycho. So, fun stuff!**

 **Title is: Speak. As of today anyway.**

 **Not going to say anything much else, you'll have to read it yourself come Christmas Eve, ya damn dirty humans.**

 **Anyway, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and etc. Oh and Happy New Year!**

 **Til next time,**

 **Holywoodunderfed**


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